•:••• ■ .-. ■ ••*^* -■;•;.,;,>• V--.,- V. .., 

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* -•.••'-■'-'. • * • '*. * " 

PRACTICAL Tl^EATI^E , \-V :;./;>/ 

ON THE MOST OBVIOUS . ^ '. . \ ***«' 

1 • , ■ \. ' ^ 

• • . •• « .J 

DISEASES PECULIAR TO HOESES;''.;;,- . 



TOGETHER WITH DIRECTIONS FOR 






THEIR MOST RATIONAL TREATMENT; 



CONTAINING, ALSO, 

SOME VALUABLE INFORMATIOISr ON THE ART ' OF 

SHOEING HORSES. 



BY GEORGE H. DADD, V. S., 

Author of "Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse," "Modern Horse Doctor," etc., etc., and 
Principal of*the Veterinary School of Chicago. 



>♦• 



CHICAGO: 
PUBLISHED BY LORD & SMITH. 

S. C. GUilO-CB^S Sc CO. 

NEW YORK: 

BLAKEMAN & MASON; C. M. SAXTON. 

1863. 



•.}r»^ 



Entered according to thb Act of Congress, in the year 1803, bt 

GJ-EO. EC. ID ADD, AT. S., 

Is THE Clerk's Office of the Disteict Court of the United States, for the 
Northern District of Illinois. 






.... V 



-jKra 






TRIBUNE COMPANY, 

BOOK & JOB PKINTEKS, 

OHI OAOO. 

Ltmam & Zbesk, Stereotypers, 47 Claik street, Chicago. 



3 

X 



*-^ 



V 



\S 



iDny 



PREFACE, 



The object of the author in preparing this work, is to meet a great 
emergency, which all persons interested in the welfare of the Horse, 
acknowledge to exist. 

For example, many works on the treatment of equine affections 
are too voluminous for practical use among those, who, from sheer 
necessity, are compelled to try their skill as amateur physicians, in 
view of restoring to usefulness a sick or disabled animal. 

I find that in the hour of need, or when a horse is suddenly at- 
tacked with a dangerous malady, and appears to suffer tormenting 
N^ pains, and no surgeon at hand, humanity prompts the owner to seek 

>ih^. for some information that may enable him to prevent the destruction 
of his property ; under such circumstances he cannot spare the time 
to sit down and read a lengthy article; his object is to ascertain, 
without delay ^ the nature of the disease and its treatment. 

Since the commencement of our present national troubles, the 
spread of disease is alarmingly on the increase, from the fact that 
thousands of diseased animals have been disposed of and distributed 
all over the country, carrying with them the propagating germs of 
infection ; and many of these animals have proved a sore pest, and 
dear purchases, although they may have cost but a trifle. In the 
same ratio, therefore, as disease multiplies, so also will be the desire 



IV • PBEFACE 

for practical information on the naturo of the same. For these, and 
other reasons which might be alluded to, there exists a necessity for 
a work of this kind. 

In the composition of the work I have endeavored to be as brief 
and practical as possible. I have also, for the reader's instruction, 
introduced a number of cases which have occurred in my own 
practice, which may aid the practitioner in treating others. 

GEO. H. DADD, V. S. 









• / * ♦ 



CONTENTS. 



PA(SB 

AMominal Dropsy 13 

Anatomy of the Tail 27 

Aphthsa 88 

Epizootic SB 

Apoplexy, Cerebral 43 

Splenic 55 

Acute Rheumatism 71 

Albuminous Urine 97 

Antidote for the Bite or Sting of Venomous Reptiles 99 

Arsenic, Poisoning by .• Ill 

Age of Horses 124 

" American Magnetic Equine Powders " 142 

" American Magnetic Equine Liniment " , , 142 

" American Magnetic Equine Lotion " 142 

Brain, Inflammation of 21 

Blindness 35 

Bronchocele , 41 

Bruise of the Sole 41 

Big Head and Big Jaw 46 

Brain, Dropsy of 64 

Breach Presentation 57 

Bots 69 

Chronic Founder 14 

Capped Hock 15 

Elbow 15 

Cramp or Spasm 20 

Cough, Chronic 28 

Colic, Spasmodic 39 

Flatulent 40 

Corns 42 

Cribbing or Crib-Biting 43 

Cerebral Apoplexy 43 

Canker in the Feet 58 

Chronic Rheumatism 75 

Carrots, Value of 100 

Castration, Mode of Performing 104 

Cholera 110 

Cut of Patent Horse Shoe 125 

Cracks, Quarter 1 34 

Cavalry Horses, Shoeing of 137 

Dropsy, Abdominal 13 

Distemper 16 

Dilatation of the Pupil 32 

Dropsy of the Brain 64 

Disease of the Skin — Mange — Lousiness — Remedy for same 68 

Derangement of the Stomach . .• 71 

Diabetes, or Profuse Discharge of Urine 97 

Disease, Navicular 98 

of the Liver 101 



Vlll CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Remarks on the Application of Hot Shoes 131 

Stables, Importance of Ventilating 9 

Social Science, its Relation to Veterinary Science 11 

Stomach, Inflammation of , . . . . 13 

Swelled Legs 16 

Scrotal Hernia, Reduction of 18 

Spasm, or Cramp 20 

String Halt 20 

Scratches 22 

Staggers 22 

Stifle out 33 

Sore Mouth 37 

Spasmodic Colic 39 

Sole, Bruise of „ 41 

Spleen, Enlargement of. ... - , 45 

Splenic Apoplexy 65 

Stomach, Over-Distension of 62 

Sweeney, or Wasting of Muscles 63 

Stomach, Derangement of , 71 

Stables, Light in 82 

Splent, its Nature, &c 92 

Spavin, its Nature, kc 93 

Suppression of Urine 9^ 

Sprain of the Fetlock 99 

Structure and Function of the Liver. 101 

Surfeit 120 

Shoeing Horses, Rules for 128 

Cavalry Horses 137 

Horses in Scotland , 138 

Tail, Anatomy of , 27 

Thrush in the Mouth ■ 38 

Tetanus, or Locked Jaw 61 

Typhoid Pneumonia 63 

Teething 81 

Thick and Turbid Urine 97 

Tracheotomy 105 

The Bite or Sting of Venomous Reptiles. 117 

Thumps 118 

Theory and Practice of Shoeing Horses in Scotland 138 

Umbilical Hernia 68 

Urine, Bloody 96 

Suppression of 97 

Profuse Discharge of 97 

Albuminous • 97 

Thick and Turbid 97 

Use of the hard Palate, or Bars 109 

Veterinary Science, Remarks on 11 

Veterinary Midwifery, Case of 67 

Value of Carrots 100 

Veterinary Science, How to Inaugurate it in the U. S. Army 115 

Withers, Fistulous 29 

Watering Horses 79 

Worms 113 

WarblcB 118 



"^^ 



IMPORTANCE OF VENTILATING STABLES, 

IN VIEW OF PREVENTING DISEASE. 



" Prevention is better than Cure." 



It was the intention of the Creator, that all animals, so long as 
they were permitted to exercise their natural instincts, and thus 
comply' with the requirements of physiology — the science of life — 
should enjoy health and long life. Hence a great amount of disease 
and death results from the evils of domestication. 

One of the conditions which physiology imposes, in order that 
a horse shall enjoy health, is, that the atmosphere at all times, and 
under all circumstances, shall be uncontaminated, so that the blood 
shall be decarbonized and purified of the defiling elements acquired 
in the course of circulation. 

Let the reader understand that the lungs are something like a 
sponge, elastic, composed of a myriad of cells. ^.Tn the former, how- 
ever, these cells have a vast internal surface, communicating with 
each other up to their common origin, the bronchial tubes and wind- 
pipe. On their internal surface we find a delicate yet highly impor- 
tant membrane permeable to the atmosphere ; in extent, it is supposed 
to occupy a square surface equal to that of the external body. In 
contact with this membrane comes the atmosphere. If j3ure, zephyr- 
like, it fans into healthful blaze the flame of life, upheaving from the 
living Vesuvius arid lava, in the form of corbonic acid gas, almost 
as destructive to animality as that issuing from its great prototype 
proves to vegetation. The stable atmosphere being pure, and the 
lungs in working order, the blood is well arterialized, capable of 
supplying the waste of the animal machine, and renovating its 
tissues. 

On the other hand, should the atmosphere be impure, it fails to 
vitalize the blood ; the latter is unfit for the purpose of nutrition, and 
may be considered a non-supporter of vitality. Hence the need of 
pure air, the breath of life. 

But are horses always furnished with pure air ? Let the owners 
of unventilated, crowded, filthy, down-cellar and low-roofed stables 
answer. 

Let those who have stables in the region of swamps, sewers, and 
stagnant pools of water answer. 

In such locations disease and death run riot, and the noble com- 
panion of man, instead of being within the ramparts of the science 
of life, is on the margin of death's domain. He may exist for seve- 



12 EEMARKS ON VETEEINARY SCIENCE. 

the glandered matter, coming in contact with an abraded, or absorb- 
ing spot, on any part of a man's body, will surely cause him to die 
the most horrible of all deaths ; and the same remarks apply to the 
disease known as ^'"malignant farcy.'''' 

I might enumerate many other fbrmf» of disease which are com- 
municable from the superior order of animality to the inferior, and 
vice versa, but the above must suffice, in view of attracting attention 
to the value and importance of the subject. In regard to the origin 
of diseases, it is known to the profession that the diseases of men 
and animals are often due to similar causes ; that the evils of domes- 
tication which operate to develop disease in animals, are as notorious 
as the evils of civilization, which induce unnecessary disease and 
premature death among members of the human family ; therefore, 
our science does bear an intimate relation to social science, and it 
appears to me that no scientific mind can fail to appreciate the 
advantages to be derived from a more extended knowledge of the- 
fundamental principles of veterinary science. 

Let husbandmen and stock raisers of this country put their 
shoulders to the wheel, in view of establishing veterinary schools 
and colleges throughout the length and breadth of our immense 
agricultural domain ; and soon we can boast of having a class of 
Veterinary Surgeons, educated on A'merican soil, conversant with 
the diseases incidental to the live stock of America / in that event, 
we can do our own " Doctoring,'''' without foreign interference. 

I am not disposed to find fault, nor scold about the itinerant vet- 
erinary practice which prevails in this locality, for I am aware that 
all try to do the best they can for the relief of the inferior orders of 
creation ; the fault is not with the practitioners, but with the people 
who have failed to .furnish the means, of. education. 



istj^txire of disea.se 



ASO 



METHODS OF TREATMENT. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH. 

Caitse. — Improper food, and poisons which irritate the vascular 
coat of the stomach ; the disease often runs into the gastro- enteritis, 
which signifies inflammation of the stomach and bowels. 

Symptoms. — The animal is very restless and ungovernable, and 
appears to be in excessive pain, the pulse is wiry, and the patient 
refuses both food and water, knowing, probably, that if anything 
be taken into the stomach it will only add to the torment. 

Treatment. — Give the animal, every four hours, one pint of lin- 
seed tea, into which stir one drachm of nitrate of potass. Should 
it be discovered that the animal has been poisoned, give half a pint 
of linseed oil, and the same quantity of lime-water; mix, and give 
as a drench every four hours, until the animal is better, or the 
bowels respond to the medicine. The patient should be lightly fed, 
and during convalescence should have a few doses of an infusion of 
chamomiles. 



ABDOMINAL DROPSY. 

Cause. — ^Effusion of serum into the abdominal cavity. It often 
is the result of an acute disease of the peritoneum. 

Symptoms. — Dropsical swellings in the sheath and limbs ; the 
abdomen is enlarged ; the appetite is not good, and the animal is 
thirsty. Let one person strike the walls of the abdomen with his 
hand, while another rests his hand on the opposite side ; at the^mo- 
ment of striking, the person on the opposite side will feel a fluctu- 
ating movement, demonstrating the presence of water within the 
abdomen. The external symptoms show unthriftiness and debility. 

Treatment. — The disease being of a prostrating character, the 
patient's strength must be sustained ; give one drachm of ginger, 
and the same quantity of golden seal, and twenty grains of iodide 
of potass, night and morning, in a few oats or shorts, and rub the 
external swellings once, daily, with oil of cedar. 



14 TREATISE ON DISEASES 



FOUNDER, (acute laminitis.) 

The terra founder signifies " ruin ;" because a horse in a foun- 
dered condition is, while the disease lasts, a ruined animal. The 
diseuse is known to professional men as Laminitis^ (inflaramation of 
the vascular parts of the foot.) During the progress of the disease, 
ATKOPHY, or wasting of the muscles of the shoulders, occurs, and 
some persons are then disposed to call the malady *' chest founder," 
but the original seat of the malady was in the foot; the wasting of 
the muscles occurs in consequence of a want of physiological action 
of the same. 

This disease, in its acute form, comes on very suddenly, and may 
be occasioned by severe work, overfeeamg, or imbibing cold water 
when the animal is in a state of perspiration ; it often has a metasta- 
tic origin, that is, translation of disease from the lungs to the feet. 

Symptoms. — The most reliable symptoms are, a hard, strong and 
wiry pulse, unnatural heat about the feet ; the animal appears to 
suffer much pain, and is continually shifting his position and sending 
his foot forwards ; sometimes, in view of obtaining relief, he lies 
down, but is uneasy and breathes quick. The position which the 
animal assumes, and the unnatural heat of the hoofs, point out clear- 
ly the true character of the affection. 

Treatment of Acttte Founder. — The feet should be kept con- 
stantly moist with cold water, and four drachms of nitrate of potass 
may be given, twice, daily, in a little water ; but should the animal 
labor under a gorged state of the stomach, administer tonics and 
stimulants in view of arousing the digestive function, so that the 
food may be digested, and thus pass out of the stomach. 

A few doses of nitrate of potass will soon decrease the action of 
the heart, and lessen the inflammatory action of the feet. 



CHRONIC FOUNDER. 

Chronic Founder is usually the result of organic foot disease, and 
a permanent cure is almost a matter of impossibility; the only thing 
we can do, is to mitigate the sufferings of the animal, by applying 
lubricating and counter-irritating liniments to the feet and limbs, 
and by having the feet properly prepared and shod, and allowing 
the subject to spend his time in the pasture. (See article ''^Sweeney.'") 
Some persons contend there are many kinds of founder, but the facts 
are, founder is not the disease; the wiry shoulders and hollowness 
in front of the chest, are mere effects arising from protracted dis- 
ea.8e aud pain in the fore feet — chronic foot lameness. 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 15 

CAPPED 110 CK. 

Capped Hock consists of a soft enlargement at the point of the 
hock or bone, known as the os calcis ; the enlargement is usually 
occasioned by a bruise or some injury done to the parts. 

Treatment. — Rub the parts twice daily with some stimulating 
liniment,* and let the animal have regular daily exercise. 



CAPPED ELBOW. 

Capped Elbow is similar to Capped Hock; it arises from the same 
cause and requires the same treatment. 



PUMICED FOOT. 

Symptoms. — Convex sole and descent of sole ; he travels as 
though he was afraid to put his foot fairly on the ground. 
Treatment. — A run at grass. 



PUNCTURE OF THE SOLE OF THE FOOT. 

Horses' feet very often get punctured in consequence of picking 
up a nail when traveling on the road ; at other times horses' feet get 
punctured in consequence of the smith accidentally driving a nail in 
a wrong direction ; sometimes very little injury results, but often 
locked jaw ensues. 

Treatment. — Enlarge the orifice so as to allow of the escape of 
any matter that may form within the hoof; then apply a plaster com- 
posed of equal parts of brown sugar and soap — or dress with Lord 
&i Smith's Magnetic Lotion, and apply leather under the foot, be- 
tween the shoe and sole. When all symptoms of lameness have 
subsided, the leather may be removed. It is important that the 
orifice, made by the puncturing nail, should be enlarged, otherwise 
the matter will burrow and form a quittor. 



SWELLED LEGS. 

Swelled legs are occasioned by what is known as local dropsy ; 
some horses seem to possess a peculiar predisposition, and whenever 
they get sick, or stand a few days in the stable, their hind legs swell. 

* The Magnetic Liniment manufactured by Messrs. Lord & Smith, No. 23 Lake street, Chicago, I 
have found very efficacious. 



16 TREATISE ON DISEASES 

The swelling arises from the presence of serum or water witliin the 
cellular tissue of the parts. 

Treatment. — Should the swelled legs be the result of a prostrat- 
ing disease, tonics and diuretics are indicated ; give two drachms of 
powdered goldenseal every morning, and three drachms of nitrate 
of potass every night, to be mixed with the food, and let the animal 
have daily exercise. 

In obstinate cases it will be necessary to apply daily a p.-tion of 
the following : 

Spirits of Camphor. . '. 6 ounces. 

Vinegar ♦....! quart. 

Mix. 

Or use Lord & Smith's Magnetic Liniment. 



LNTFLUENZA AND DISTEMPER. 

Such affections as the above named, are apt to make their appear- 
ance in the spring, and are most prevalt.nt in stables that are not 
ventilated ; such affections are very apt to extend from the mucous 
surfaces of the nostrils, to the throat and interior of the air cells of 
the lungs ; usually, however, the throat is the seat of sorent-ss and 
exudation ; while in some cases that have lately occurred in this city, 
a very profuse discharge from both nostrils was observed, which 
ended in a critical outburst of an abscess between the angles of the 
lower jaw. In two cases that have lately come under my observa- 
tion, the disease ended in pleurisy, and effusion of serum into the 
cavity of the chest, which was attended with dropsical swellings of 
the legs and external parts of the chest. 

When distemper occurs in the system of an animal debilitated 
by previous disease, or one of a morbid or scrofulous diathesis, a 
profuse and protracted nasal gleet remains, and this is accompanied 
by tumefaction of the thyroid glands in the region of the throat. 
The purulent discharge from the nostrils, need not occasion any 
anxiety on the part of the owner of the horse or the medical attend- 
ant, for, as it increases in quantity, the other observable symptoms of 
the malady grow milder ; in fact, the discharge may be considered 
an effort, on the part of nature, to rid the system of morbific mat- 
ter, and any attempts by injudicious treatment to arrest this salutary 
discharge may effect a translation of disease, which often ends in 
death. Death may, however, be occasioned by the re-absorption of 
the morbid nasal discharge; imder such circumstances, the nasal 
membrane takes on a livid aspect, and streaks or spots of extrava- 
sated blood are observed; the membranes of the eyes assume a dark 
red color, the pulse becomes indistinct; cold sweats bedcAv the body; 
the patient becomes emaciated, loses his appetite, and, soon after, his 
life. In a few solitary cases a partial recovery takes place — death 
refuses to receive a victim — the animal lives to be the subject of con- 
firmed heaves or broken wind. 

As EEGARDS THE CoNTAGIOUS OR InFECTIOTJS ElEMENT OF DiS- 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 17 

TEMPER. — Should I contend that "Distemper" was contagions and 
infectious, probably the bulk of evidence would be on my side ; in 
fact, I was formerly led to believe that, either by infection or conta- 
gion, distemper was propagated from the system of one animal to 
that of another ; but experience, which is generally the only true 
guide, has of late years led me to think differently, yet I am well 
aware that even at the present day, in spite of the ever accumulative 
knowledge of pathology, both the negative and afl&i'mative of this 
proposition may be logically maintained. 

Because a number of horses are attacked with distemper, in this 
or that stable, is not positive proof in evidence of its contagious or 
infectious element, because the season of the year may have more to 
do with its production than some people are aware of It is well 
known that influenza or distemper is more frequently encountered 
in spring, than in autumn; more in autumn, in some countries, than 
•in summer, and in winter more rarely than in either of the other 
quarters of the year. 

Then again, influenza may make its appearance at a certain stable, 
and rapidly spread, so that a great proportion of its occupants are 
affected with unmistakable symptoms of the malady ; but this 
proves nothing in favor of the theory of the contagionists, for the 
same cause which operated to develop the malady in the system 
of one animal, was operative (if operative at all) in the systems of 
the others. 

In view of maintaining my argument, I offer the following perti- 
nent case: Mr. Harbin, an extensive dealer in horses, informs me 
that he once purchased a number of horses for a southern market, 
and knowing that all horses at some period of their existence ought, 
or must, have an attack of distemper, he was desirous of getting his 
animals through' the scrape ere he delivered them to his friends; 
and in view of delivering them in good condition, he purposely ex- 
posed them, by purchasing a horse affected with distemper ; and not- 
withstanding his efforts to communicate the disease, the animals 
improved in condition, and not one of them appeared sick until a long 
time afterwards when they were landed in a southern port, and even 
then he disposed of the whole lot, having but one sick patient on his 
hands; the sickness being contracted after arriving south. 

Treatment of Distemper. — The animal should be placed in a 
comfortable location, where he can breathe pure air, and be free 
from annoyance of every kind ; should the weather be chilly, the 
body may be lightly clothed, and the lower part of the limbs band- 
aged with flannel. It is very important that the surface of the body 
be kept warm, for when cold, the equilibrinm of the circulation is 
disturbed, the blood then localizes itself about the internal organs, 
and produces congestion ; a condition very unfavorable, in view of 
the speedy restoration of the sick creature. 

It should be understood by every husbandman that this affection 
is of a prostrating nature, that the object of the treatment of the 
malady is to husband the animal powers — Tzeep the horse alive while 
the disease runs its course — and preserve the tone of the system by 
administering tonics and diffusive stimulants ; a few doses of golden 
seal and ginger, accompanied by a rational allowance of scalded o^ts, 
2 



18 TEEATMENT OF DISEASES 

small quantities of hay, and water enough, are generally all that is 
needed by way of treatment. And if this course be pursued, the 
animal will recover, very little the worse for having had the distem- 
per. A mild form of this disease is often made to assume a typhoid 
or putrid type simply from meddlesome medication and overdosing, 
with agents which depress the vital powers, and by bleeding. 

No matter what may be the stage in which we find the disease, the 
treatment must be life-sustaining; no kind of treatment which con- 
templates a depression of vitality is at all admissible. This is my 
experience after a practice of very many years — and the most intel- 
ligent and liberal-minded physicians of the present day depend more 
on nature than art, in the treatment of distemper. 

Should swellings appear under the chest and limbs, the proposed 
plan of treatment is not to be materially altered, only add to the 
golden seal and ginger a little iodide of potass ; this agent is a gland- 
ular stimulant, and augments the function of the absorbents which 
take up the fluid and thus reduce the swellings, which are of a 
dropsical character. The proportions of the above agents are as 
follows : 

Golden Seal, powdered ^ . .^ . . , 2 ounces. 

Ginger, " 1 ounce. 

Iodide of Potass " 3 drachms. 

Mix, and divide into twelve parts, and give one night and morning 
in food or gruel. 

It may happen that the animal is unable to swallow, in conse- 
quence of soreness of throat, as the saying is ; in such case we mere- 
ly apply some stimulating application to the region of the throat, 
and wait awhile; soon the soreness subsides, and the patient can 
then swallow all he needs and as much as nature requires. 

The best stimulating application for the throat is 

Cod Liver Oil 4 ounces. 

Tincture of Capsicum ._ , . , ^^» . 1 ounce. 

Another perhaps equally as good : 

Olive Oil 6 ounces. 

Spirits of Hartshorn 2 ounces. 

A portion of either of the above preparations may be rubbed into 
the thyriod region twice daily. Under the above mode of treat- 
ment I have found that recovery is not only soon accomplished but 
perfect. 



REDUCTION OF SCROTAL HERNIA.* 

The best method of reducing scrotal hernia in the uncastrated 
colt, is to cast the horse by means of the hobbles, and when on its 
back, the animal is to be kept in that position, while, by means of 

* Hernia is from a Greek word which signifies a breach, from its protrusion out of its place — a 
rupture. 'When tlie hernia tumor 13 easily put back into the abdomen, ih is called reducible hernia. 
The symptoms of a reducible hernia are not very violent ; the horse will paw with his fore extremi- 
ties, hangs his head, looks silently at his flank, and appears to suffer from constant, yet not very 
active pain ; on the affected side the scrotal bag will appear cold. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 19 

the hand and fingers, the bowel is kneaded back again into the 
abdominal cavity. Should the bowel or intestine not return readily, 
a tackle, double and. single block with a small rope^ must be fixed to 
a beam above the posterior part of the animal; then hook the sin^^le 
block into the hind hobbles, and raise the posterior parts from fhe 
ground ; this sends the contents of the abdomen forwards, towards 
the diaphragm, and the imprisoned intestine usually recedes into 
proper position. Sliould the bowel not return, after a fair trial, the 
animal may be aetherized ; while administering the aether, however, 
the patient should be released from the tackle, and hoisted again 
when in a state of etherization; after this the hernia is easily 
reduced. 

Should, however, the case be a bad one, in consequence of a lapse 
of considerable time since the period of the accident, or from the 
presence of a portion of bowel distended with gas, forming a tumor 
of considerable magnitude, the operator must proceed to%pen the 
scrotum and tunioa vaginalis^ and should a portion of bowel present 
itself, much distended with gas, the bowel may be punctured in 
several places with the point of a fine needle; these punctures will 
allow the gas to escape, and the volume of the intestine is so reduced 
that k. usually returns, without any trouble, into its proper cavity. 
Having reduced the hernia, the wooden clamps are to be placed on 
the spermatic cord and secured; the testicle is then to be severed 
from the cord. 

A case may now and then occur, which precludes the possibility 
of a return of tlie intestine, after the above fashion, in consequence 
of a thickened state of the walls of the gut ; in such a case we have 
to enlarge the inguinal rin^ with a probe-pointed bistourie, and after 
the bowel has returned into the abdomen, castration must be per- 
formed as just described. 

/Shall we remove both testicles f I usually invite the owner of the 
horse to decide this question ; at the same time inform him that the 
animal, unless a very valuable one, had better be completely emas- 
culated. The loss of one testicle will not very seriously impair his 
powers as a sire' of progeny ; therefore, if the subject of this loss 
be of good blood or stock, it is better to let the unaffected testicle 
remain, for, as the old saying is, "blood will tell," 



O^ THE TREATMENT OF FEVERS. 

"fevers generally tend to their own cure.*' 

Mann,^ and several other authors of the modern school, contend, 
that " The principal treatment that is necessary in disorders of this 
kind, is, to let nature have * lair play.' If the purest air is sup- 
plied, the most perfect cleanliness is scrupulously observed, and 
nothing is given or done that can continue the oppression of the 
system, nature soon rights herself The excretoiy organs, step by 
step, expel the offending matter fi-om the blood, and the balance of 
health is gradually restored. The low diet, the quiet, and other 
valuable measures directed by medical science, all have the object 



20 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

in view, in the first place, of removing or withholding such influence 
as would oppose nature in its beneficent work; and, in the second 
place, of aiding its operations, so far as this can be done, by artifi- 
cial appliances. Every one ought to understand this, in order that 
he may be prepared to yield intelligent and eflSeient obedience to 
medical suggestions and directions, in case of being placed in posi- 
tions in which such may be required." 

The above are very excellent directions, and if fully carried out 
in the treatment of the various diseases of the inferior orders of 
creation, would probably save the lives of many valuable animals 
that are constantly dying from the practice of a system of meddle- 
some medication, and from the unwarrantable use of drugs that are 
either injurious or actively poisonous in their character. 



CRAMP OR SPASM. 

Cramp, as it occurs in horses, is usually confined to the muscles 
and tendons which flex the limb. The following case will illus- 
trate my treatment: 

Case of Cramp, or Spasm. — I was requested, a short time ago, 
to visit a horse, said to be the subject of " stifle lameness." The 
patient, a gray gelding, aged eight years, was put up at the stable, 
on the evening preceding my visit, apparently in perfect health ; 
early in the morning, ere I was called, the " feeder" observed that 
the horse was incapable of moving the near hind limb, and it 
appeared to be, as I was informed, " as^ifi" as a crowbar." 

On making an examination of the body of the animal, he 
appeared to be in perfect health ; yet he was unable to raise the 
limb, in the slightest degree, from the stable floor. The case was 
accordingly diagnosed as cramp of the flexors. 

Treatment. — The body and lower parts of the limbs were 
clothed with blankets and flannel bandages, and the afiected limb 
was diligently rubbed for half an hour with a portion of the follow- 
ing liniment : 

Oil of Cedar 1 ounce. 

Sulphuric ^ther 2 ounces. 

Proof Spirit 1 pint. 

In the course of a few hours after the first application, the diffi- 
culty had entirely disappeared. 

The owner informed me that the horse had, on the day prior to 
the attack, been exposed to a cold and continuous rain storm, and 
probably this operated as the exciting cause of the spasm. 



STRINGHALT. 

Stringlialt is probably a disease of the nervous system, and 
seems to aff'ect the muscles of the hind extremities through the 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 21 

nerves of involuntary motion. Persons who have dissected ani- 
mals which were once the subjects of stringhalt, declare that they 
found pressure on the posterior portion of the spinal column. 

I have noticed that many horses, the subjects of commencing 
spavin, have stringhalt when they start. This may be occasioned 
by irritation on the nerve which passes over the hock. 

Medicine has but little if any power over this disease, yet,^ if 
the reader wishes to try the effects of the same, I would advise 
the use of stimulating liniment, to be applied over the region of the 
back, and inside of the thighs, and let the animal have a couple of 
drachms of asafoetida every day for a week or more. Most vete- 
rinary surgeons contend that stringhalt is incurable. In France the 
action of a stringhalt horse is (on the dancing-master prmciple) con- 
sidered rather graceful than otherwise; so that if any of the readers 
of this work happen to have a horse the subject of stringhalt which 
they cannot <5ure, they had better ship him to France. 



MEGRIMS. 

Megrims, in the horse, is supposed to be analogous to epilepsy in 
,man. A horse the subject of this affection is apt to appear dull and 
stupid when at work, and will, at a later period in the stage of the 
malady, be seized with a sudden fit, and drop down in the shafts ; 
at other times will gallop forwards and run head foremost into any 
obstacle which happens to be in his way ; he soon after goes into 
convulsions and becomes insensible. 

A horse subject to this malady is never safe to drive, and conse- 
quently is almost worthless ; indeed, when attacked, his recovery is 
never certain, for he often dies in convulsions. 

Treatment. — Bathe the head constantly with cold water, and 
apply spirits of ammonia to his nostrils ; should the case be a cura- 
ble one, the animal will soon rise, when he must be led, cautiously, 
to the stable. Then administer the following: 

Powdered Golden Seal 1 ounce. 

Mandrake 1 " 

Ginger 2 *' 

Carbonate of Soda 1 " 

Divide into ten parts, and give one, night and morning,, in a few 
oats. 



INFLAMIVIATION OF THE BRAIN. 

Animals most subject to this affection, have a short thick neck 
and l)ulky forehead ; the disease is one of the most formidable with 
which we have to contend, as it often ends in frenzy ; sometimes, 
however, dropsy of the brain sets in, at others, rupture of a blood 
vessel takes place — in either case, death is very apt to ensue. 



22 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

Symptoms. — The animal soems to have no control over itself^ and 
will dash about in the most violent manner, and disregards all the 
owner's commands ; the membranes of the eyes are very hisjhly 
injected, and the pulse is full and active. In short, the animal 
apj)ears in a state of madness. 

Treatment. — The only way in which we can be of o.ny service, 
in a case of this character, is to use the lancet freely until the ])atient 
is prosti'ated, then give half an ounce of pulverized nitre, and ton 
o-rains of aconite root every half hour, until symptoms of iniprovo- 
ment take place ; in the meantime, injections, composed of hot 
water, soap and salt, should be thrown into the rectum. Tonics 
should be resorted to, as soon as the patient shows symptoms of 
weakness. 



STAGGERS. 

The usual forms of staggers which occur among horses in this part 
of the country, are Stomach Staggers and Sleepy Staggers ; in the 
first case, the animal is usually the subject of over distention of the 
stomach, and, when urged to move, staggers like a drunken man j in 
the latter case, the function of the stomach is paralyzed^ and the 
animal is somnolent or sleepy. 

The usual exciting causes of smch affections are, overfeeding and 
want of proper exercise, yet it may arise from hard work when the 
animal is the subject of an over-distended stomacli. 

Treatment. — Both the above affections may be treated as follows : 
Give the patient six ounces of table salt, one ounce of ginger, in half 
a pint of hot water. Then dissolve half a pound of Glauber salts 
in hot water and throw the same into the rectum. In the course of 
a couple of hours the dose may be repeated. The diet should consist 
of sloppy bran mashes, well seasoned with salt. 



GREASE. 

In olden times, Grease or Scratches, and cracked heels, were not 
only very prevalent but very formidable affections. Before veterin- 
ary surgr-ons were employed in the British army, many thousands 
of valuable horses were condemned as useless for active service in 
consequence of the prevalence of that loathsome affection known as. 
inveterate Grease ; but now in consequence of the presence of vete- 
rinary surgeons and the consequent imj^'oved system of manage- 
ment in camp and stable, Grease is almost unknown. Most vete- 
rinary writers contend that Grease almost always arises from im- 
proper management of the horse, yet I have seen it occur in horses 
that were well cared for and properly treated. The truth is, some 
horses are predisposed to affections of the skin of the heels and the 
sebaceous glands of the same, and although cleanliness and good 
management may stave off an attack for a long while, yet when the 



rECULIAE TO HORSES. ' ' 23 

system abounds in morbific matter tbe same is very apt to gravitate 
towards the heels — they being most remote from the centre of circu- 
lation — inducing inflammation of the skin of the heels, distension of 
the sebaceous glands, and a stinking and unhealthy deposit on the 
surface, and a purulent discharge through ulcerated cracks : this 
constitutes Grease. 

It is contended by Mr. Blain and others, that " Grease has local 
weakness for a cause. As fluids press, not in proportion to their 
diameter, but to the height of their column, the venous blood 
must find some difliculty in its ascent. Debility is therefore more 
felt in the distended vessels remote from the influence of the heart, 
under which circumstance the efiects productive of Grease necessa- 
rily ensue." 

Some horses are constantly the subjects of swelled legs, and if 
the heels happen to be accidentally abraded, the latter often operates 
as the exciting cause of a very formidable afl*ection of the heels. 
Associated with the swelled legs is a scurfiness of the skin beneath 
the fetlock ; these conditions, together with the fact that the animal 
is of the lymphatic temperament, (gray color,) are sure indications 
that a predisposition to maladies of the above character is present. 
Having such horses under our care, the chief object should be to 
ward off an attack, by dietetic and hygienic measures ; too much 
washing of the heels without drying them by rubbing, is just about 
as bad as if the filth was allowed to remain ; the practice chills the 
part by a process of slow evaporation, and the result is local con- 
gestion, &G. 

I propose to illustrate, for the benefit of the reader, the treatment 
of Grease : 

July 15th. Was requested to see a gray gelding, the property of 
the Transfer Company of St. Louis. On arrival I found him to be 
a large, flabbily organized creature, having a large amount of loose 
tissue under the skin. I found that there was a bad odor arising 
from some ulcerations and exudations about the heels and sides of 
the same ; intermediate of the ulcers were dry horny scabs, the hair 
about the parts pointing straight out; the heel was excessively ten- 
der, quite vascular, and blood escaped from its vessels. The mo- 
ment a hand was placed upon the locality, the animal would catch 
up the limb and appear to suflfer much pain. 

TrExVtment. — In the first place I had the parts well cleansed with 
5oap and water ; then after wiping the parts dry, they were wetted 
three times daily with a portion of the following solution : 

Nitrate of Potass (Saltpetre) 3 ounces. 

Water , 1 pint. 

Glycerine 4 ounces. 

Every time the solution was applied, the parts were dusted with 
pulverized charcoal; this charcoal completely covering the abraded 
parts, and being a good antiseptic, had a very excellent efiect in ex- 
cluding atmospheric air and in correcting the fetid odor. 

I administered as an alterative to correct the morbid habit, twenty 
grains of iodide of potass ; four drachms of sulphur ; two drachms 
of powdered sassafras bark ; one drachm of gentian ; these were 



24 ' TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

mixed in food, and the same quantity was given daring a period of 
four days, and the dressings were also continued. 

On the fifth day the animal had very much improved, stood fair 
on the foot, and seemed to sulTer but very little pain ; the limb was 
somewhat swollen, partly from want of use, and otherwise from a 
slight effusion into the cellular tissue. I discontinued the medicine 
and ordered the following mixture to be appUed twice daily :* 

PyroligneousAcid, | ^^„^, ^,,3. 

After each application the charcoal was reapplied. 

At the end of about fifteen days the animal was well, with the 
exception of some enlargement and induration which time alone 
could remedy. 

This plan of treatment would probably prove successful in all 
curable cases of Grease, Cracked Heels, Scratches, &c., and I ad- 
vise the reader to try it whenever such cases occur ; the patient, 
however, should be kept on a light diet — green feed in summer and 
carrots in winter — and a moderate supply of oats and hay. 



MYALGIA. 

Myalgia signifies muscular pain and stiffness. 

St. Louis, July 26. I was this day called to examine a colt, the 
property of Mr. P., of this city. The owner informed me the colt 
was put in a flour wagon with a pair of mules, this being the first 
time he ever was driven ; he was worked hard all that day, and on 
being taken out, and while he was under great heat, and completely 
tired out, was allowed to drink freely of water. The next morning 
my attention being called to him, I proceeded to examine him. 

I found the pulse small and wiry, and in a state of exhaustion. 
Respirations somewhat accelerated upon backing him out of the 
stall ; he moved very stiff and with clifiiculty, seemingly in consid- 
erable pain. The back was arched, bringing the feet in close prox- 
imity ; these were very hot, the animal being very unwilling to move. 

Diagnosis. — Myalgia, or muscular pain. 

Treatment. — Gave by drench : 

Iodide Potass 2 drachms. 

Tincture of Golden Seal 7 " 

Rubbed his legs with the following: 

Indian Hemp, ) ^ ^^^ ^^^^^ 
Chloroform, ) ^ ^ 

July 27. Called again to see the patient and found him somewhat 
improved, and not in so much pain. The stiffness had in considera- 
ble degree disappeared. Ordered his legs to be rubbed wi^h the same 



The Magnetic Lotion, prepared by Lord & Smitli, is an excellent remedy for this complaint. 



PECULIAR TO HOUSES. 25 

preparation -which was applied yesterday morning, then gave, by 

drench ; 

Prickly Ash Bark 5 drachms. 

Golden Seal 5 " 

Iodide Potass 1 " 

July 28. Called to see my patient this morning, and found him 
rapidly improvhig. His walk was much firmer and his general ap- 
pearance livelier. I did not consider his legs needed any further 
medical application, but I gave a drench composed of — 

Golden Seal 4 drachms. 

Iodide Potass 1 " 

July 29. I found such a decided improvement this morning that 
I felt it necessary to suspend further medical treatment, and informed 
the owner that by turning him out to grass he would ultimately* 
recover. 

Remarks. — Myalgia is a very prevalent disease among horses, yet 
it is often confounded with pleurodyna, founder, rheumatism, &g. 
In view of giving the reader some idea of the cause and nature of 
Myalgia, I propose to make a few extracts from a lecture lately de- 
livered by Thomas Inman, M.D., of the Royal Infirmary, Liverpool: 

" My attention has been drawn very forcibly, of late, to the sub- 
ject of the muscles, and the frequency with which they are painfully 
affected in the human subject. It is clear that they are affected 
much in the same way in the horse and other animals. 

*' If any man undergoes an excessive amount of physical exertion, 
and especially if he be unaccustomed to it, or if he has been the 
victim of cramp, we know that on the next day he complains of 
stiffness and soreness in those parts of the body which have been 
most exercised. Experience tells us that this stiffness lasts for about 
four or five days, but that it goes off on the first day as the indi- 
vidual is again warmed to his work, and comes on again as soon as 
he is cool. 

*' There is every reason to believe that excessive or long protract- 
ed exertion will produce a bad effect upon a healthy and strong 
muscle ; it is equally certain that a similar result will be produced 
in a weakly and unhealthy muscle by a very slight exertion, because 
that exertion, though seemingly small, is excessive. 

" If any man or horse die of tetanus, we may ascertain readily 
the physical effects produced on their muscles, by excessive and 
prolonged involuntary contraction. The muscles of a tetanic patient 
are pale looking, fishy, bloodless, spott'ed, &c. 

" From the foregoing particulars it is evident that the muscles, in 
their entirety, were frequently the seats of very severe suffering; 
and experience showed that myalgio affections were far more com- 
mon than had been supposed. But many patients had muscular 
pains from doing the very same things that others had done without 
experiencing anything disagreable, and many had- myalgia from 
continuing to perform actions which they had been accustomed to 
do all their lives. This had to be accounted for. 

" A short consideration sufticed to state the matter thus : If . an 
individual, whose muscles are strong, experience stiffness, pain and 



26 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

Borencss, from doing double an amount of ordinary work, another, 
whose muscles are only of half the average strength, will have a 
similar result from doing his ordinary work. 

"The deduction, then, was inevitable, that myalgic pains would 
be common and severe in direct pi'oportion to the patient's debility. 
But it is still necessary to demonstrate, that the muscles of various 
individuals hnd vai'ying powers ; and still more important was it to 
show that those of the same individual varied in power according 
to circumstances." 

By trials of strength, &c., the Lecturer showed, very conclusively, 
the facts sought for. 



PRICKING OR NICKING HORSES' TAILS. 

Nicking Hoeses. — The EnoRsh method of nickino: horses is, 
instead of inserting a knife and maldng a subcutaneous section of 
the muscles of the tail^ known as the depressors, to make three 
straight incisions at equal distances right across the tail ; by this 
method the muscles of the tail are effectually or completely divided. 
The first incision is usually made about two inches from the root of 
the tail, and the other two at equal distances from the first, in a 
direction towards the end of the tail. 

The tail is then kept perpendicular, in the usual manner, by pnl- 
lies. It is said that by this method a more graceful curvature of the 
tail is secured, which I believe is a fact ; yet the operation is any- 
thing but pleasant to the horse. It is one of the fashionable barba- 
risms of civilization. 

The English method of nicking, although the most unsightly 
and barbarous, is still the safest, as there is less liability to locked 
jaw. It is well known that locked jaw more frequently ensues from 
a punctured wound, than a clean cut or incision. Yet when nick- 
ing or pricking after the American fixshion, if care be taken to make 
the orifice through the skin sufliciently large, so that the pus, after- 
ward secreted, may escape, I think there is no danger. The danger 
arises from imprisonment of pus by closure of the orifice in the 
skin. In healthy subjects the orifice made through the skin will 
often unite, in the course of a few hours ; then, should morbid mat- 
ter accumulate within the substance of the tail, it burrows, forms 
an abscess, or else becomes absorbed, producing locked jaw. 
Therefore I would advise persons having pricked or nicked horses 
under their care, to pay strict attention to such, and see that the 
orifices are kept open, which may easily be done by occasionally 
inserting the point of a penknife. The skin should be the last place 
to heal. The healing ])rocess must be perfected in the interior first, 
and lastly the skin. Should fungus or " proud flesh" appear, apply 
powdered blood-root, burnt alum, or red precipitate. 

When an abscess forms at the base of the tail after pricking, 
apply a poultice of flaxseed; and when the tail is much inflamed 
and swollen, it should be bathed frequently with acetic acid one 
part, water seven parts ; mix. 

When horses are nicked in warm weather, the tail should be 
moistened with tincture of aloes ; this will keep off the flies. 



PECULIAE TO HORSES. ^7 



•ersons who are not experts in the art of pricking, are apt to 
ind, and sometimes completely sever the coccygeal arteries, 



.r 

woun{ 

thereby causing an nnnecessary and dangerous hemorrhao-e. In 
such cases, I should advise the operator to crowd into the orifice a 
small piece of dry sponge ; this will arrest the hemorrhage, and at 
the same time keep the divided ends of the muscles apart, so that 
they cannot reunite; hence it is not necessary to put the tail into 
pullips for some hours, or until bleeding has ceased ; when this is 
the case, the sponge may be removed by means of a small pair of 
forceps. 

The success in securing what is denominated a fashionable tail, 
depends altogether on the skill of the operator, who must make a 
complete division of the muscles beneath the tail only, whose action 
is to coinp-ess and depress that useful appendage ; for should the 
incision be made too high on the side of the tail, the curoators may 
be partly t)r wholly severed; then the tail will ultimately diverge 
laterally, or in stable language it will be said, " that the horse does 
not carry his tail straight^ To remedy this, the curvator on the 
opposite side must be divided ; then the tail has to be forcibly drawn 
and kept in an opposite direction from the curved side, so as to pre- 
vent the muscle from reuniting. In the course of a short time 
granulations are thrown out from the surface of the divided ends of 
the nniscle ; it then acquires length, and thus the tail becomes 
straight. 

Anatomy of the Tail. For the benefit of those who wish to 
practice the art of " nicking or pricking" understandingly, I now 
propose to give a brief exposition of the anatomy of the" tail. 

Bov.ss of the Tail. The bones of the tail number fifteen, some- 
times sixteen, and are situated at the back of the rump bone or 
sacrum. They are not a continuation of the vertebral bones but 
are an appendage to the haunch bone. 

The bones entire are termed coccyx (from the Greek, which sio-ni- 
fies cuchoo^ the bill of which bird the appendage to the sacrum^ or 
haunch bone of man, is said to represent), and in order to prevent 
confusion in anatomical terms, veterinary surgeons have applied 
the same name to the tail bones of the horse ; hence, when the 
terms coccygis or coccygeal are used, they have some relation to 
the tail. The bones are roughened on their surfaces, have depres- 
sions and eminences for the insertion of ligaments, tendons, and 
muscles. 

Muscles of the Tail. These muscles are divisible into four pairs. 
They are most distinctly seen at the root of the tail, but in their 
course towards the end of the same they become blended one with 
another. 

First Pair. The first pair is situated on the upper part of the 
tail ; they are attached to the sacrum and to the bones of the tail 
Their action is to raise or erect the tail. 

Secoyid Fair of Coccygeal Muscles. These are termed depres- 
sors coccyx^ and are situated at the under part of the tail. They are 
attached to the underneath part of the sacrum, and to the same 
locality on the bones of the tail. They are antagonistic to the first 
pair, and their direct action is to depress the talk These are the 



2S TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

muscles which should be divided in the process of pricking or 
nicking. 

Third Pair. The third pair are termed curvators coccyx. These 
muscles are situated on the sides of the tail, between the first and 
second pairs. They are attached to the fourth and fifth lumbar 
vertebrae, and to the sides or transverse processes of all the bones 
of the tail. Their action is to curve or fiex-the tail towards the 
quarter and sides, and the division of one of these muscles causes 
permanent flexure of the tail in an opposite direction. Considering 
the tail as a means of defense in switching off flies, &c., these mus- 
cles are the principal ones called into action. 

Fourth Fair. The fourth pair are termed compressors coccyx. 
They are located at the sides and root of the tail, and are inserted 
into the back part of the hip bones (ischium)., and into the first five 
bones of the tail. The action of these muscles is to maintain the 
tail forcibly against the anus. In the mare these muscles protect 
lier from ravishment. 

The Arteries of the Tail are termed coccygeal arteries. Those 
located at the sides, are called lateral coccygeal, and the one found 
in the lower or inferior region, is so called — inferior coccygeal. 

Nerves of the Tail. As with the muscles, so with the nerves — 
there are four pair of coccygeal nerves. They are not a continua- 
tion of the true spinal cord, but are given off from it. They are 
distributed to the muscular filaments, to the skin, and to the 
extremity of the tail. 



CHPiONIC COUGH — ITS TREATMENT, &c. 

Chronic Cough is often the result of indiscretion in the treatment 
of influenza, distemper, and disease of the respiratory apparatus. 
It usually depends on a morbid and irritable condition of the mem- 
brane, found on the interior of the respiratory passages ; the cough 
is generally aggravated by over-exertion, especially when the roads 
are dusty ; food of an inferior quality, and that of a musty charac- 
ter, has the same effect. 

It is generally supposed by those persons who have not had the 
benefit of a medical education, that the presence of acute, or chron- 
ic cough, indicates diseased lungs^ or disease in some parts of the 
organs of res2:)iration ; but this is not always the case, for, whenever 
the liver becomes diseased, the subject is very apt to be tormented 
with a harassing cough, which lasts as long as that organ shall be 
the seat of disease ; however, there are several symptoms, to be ob- 
served in cases of functional or organic disease of the liver, which 
are not present in lung disease ; hence there is no difiiculty in the 
way of making a correct diagnosis, and for the benefit of the non- 
professional, I would inform them that, in all cases of liver disease, 
a marked yellow tinge will be observed on the visible surfaces 
within the mouth; the tongue slightly coated; the dung is unusu- 
ally dark colored, and is voided in hardened lumps, and the urine 
is also of a dark yellow color. 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 29 

Treatment of Chronic Cough. — Should it appear that the cough 
is occasioned by irritation, or an irritable state of the lining mem- 
brane of the respiratory passages, I recommend the following: 

Fluid Extract of Indian Hemp 1 ounce. 

Syrup of Balsam of Tolou 2 " 

Balsam Copaiba 1 " 

Mix. 
About a table-spoonful of the above should be given twice, daily, 
from a small bottle. 

The patient should be coaxed to drink an infusion of linseed now 
and then ; it will lubricate the surfaces with which it comes in con- 
tact, lessen the cough, and tend to improve the condition. 

Atteiition must he paid to the Diet. An irritable state of the niu- 
cous surfaces is apt to be aggravated by the use of hay of an inferior 
quality ; in fact, poor hay, dusty or musty, is dear at any price, and 
is not, in that condition, fit for food. If the patient has been long 
kept on any particular kind of provender, a change becomes neces- 
sary — then such articles as linseed, sliced carrots, green feed, or oat 
straw, may advantageously be given. 

Should the cough be dependent on disease of the liver, I would 
advise the owner of the animal to consult a veterinary surgeon. 

See Magnetic Horse Powders. 



FISTULOUS WITHERS. 

Cause of Fistulous Withers. — Various are the causes assigned,' 
by veterinary writers, for the origin of fistulous withers; but it may 
be laid down, as a general rule, that this accidental, local affliction is 
occasioiied by local injury inflicted by a bad-fitted collar or saddle ; 
which, one or the other, are continually worn, and are constantly 
augmenting the irritation. In fitting a collar or saddle to a horse's 
back, or shoulders, the harness-maker should study the conformation 
of the parts to be fitted, so as to distribute an equal pressure on all 
the bearing parts. Unequal pressure is usually attended or followed 
by local injury, inflammatory tumor, and suppuration ; and the result " 
is *' fistulous withers.'' 

Nature of Fistulous Withers. — In the first stage a tumor, or 
inflammatory swelling, varying in size, is observed in the dorsal 
spinesTjiast at the top of the shoulder blade ; it appears hot and 
tender, £tnd resembles a common boil ; after a short time it suppu- 
rates, a>nd then may be considered as a common local abscess ; soon 
the matter accumulates, and then is apt to spread and burrow in 
various directions, and instances have occurred where the matter 
has burrowed beneath the scapula, and found its way to the point of 
the elbow. The fistulous condition, however, does not exist until 
the matter, by absorption, has created several canals, or " pipes," as 
they are sometimes called; the skin is then also broken, and we have 
a real case of fistulous withers. 

Occasionally the matter becomes so acrimonious and morbid that 



30 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

it acts on the spines of the dorsal vertebrae, and parts of them un- 
dergo ulceration, become detached, and finally have to be removed. 
In some cases of this character the stench arising from the same is 
almost intolerable, and at times the discharge is very copious, and 
in running over the shoulders denudes the parts of hair, and occa- 
sions superficial sores. The acrimonious and morbid condition of 
such matter is probably owing to a bad habit of body, or vitiation 
of the solids and fluids, which must be corrected by tonics, altera- 
tives, and suitable diet, ere the disease can be arrested. 

TiiEATMENT OF FISTULOUS WiTHERS. — When the small tumor 
(skin unbroken) is first discovered, a cold water dressing is to be 
applied, by means of a bandage. I usually apply a wet sponge, and 
confine it to the spot with a surcingle, frequently wetting the sponge. 
The patient should be confined to a light diet, and receive, in the 
form of drench, six drachms of nitrate of potass (saltpetre.) After 
the lapse of twenty-four hours, shoiild this treatment fiiil to reduce 
the tumor, and it has increased in size, it may be inferred that sup- 
puration has commenced, and matter is forming beneath the skin. 
So soon as matter, or^pus, can be detected (its presence may be 
known by the soflening and fluctuation,) I advise that an opening 
be made into it at its lowest margin, and large enough to admit of 
a free and complete discharge of its contents ; the cavity should be 
syringed out two or three times, with a small quantity of fluid ex- 
tract' of blood-root. It is important that this orifice should be kept 
open for several days, or until the discharge has about ceased. This 
is the most rational method of treating a case of this character in its 
early stage. The same rule applies to the treatment of all abscesses 
wherever situated, viz., whenever matter can be detected it should 
be immediately liberated, lest contiguous parts be injured. 

In some cases, however, a spontaneous abscess makes its appear- 
ance in the upper region of the shoulder blade, and often both sides 
are the seat of the same. They cannot be traced to any local inju- 
ry, for I have often known them to occur in colts that have never 
been harnessed ; therefore I term them spontaneous. In such cases 
I have found it best not to be in a hurry to open them, for suppura- 
tion is generally tardy, does not do much damage, may depend on 
morbid "habit and morbid action; which may be corrected by a few 
doses of iodide of potass and golden seal ; the dose of the same be- 
ing as follows : Iodide of potass, fluid extract of golden seal — four 
drachms per day. The local application in view of exciting absorp- 
tion is composed of — 

Tincture of Iodine 2 ounces. 

Tincture of Blood-root 8 " 

Oil of Cedar 1 " 

Sulphuric Ether 1 " 

, Mix, and rub into the tumefaction a portion of the above twice 
daily. After a few days' trial of the above, if the tumor does not 
decrease, but rather augments, the treatment must be disconthnied ; 
and if it be advisable to open the abscess, it can be done by means 
either of a lancet or seton. The after treatment consists in cleans- 
ing the parts, and in securing an open orifice at the lower part of the 
tumor, which will act as a drain to carry off the matter as fast as 



PECULIAR TO nOEBES. 31 

it is secreted. I sometimes inject, by means of a syringe, a small 
quantity of pyroligneous acid daily, which acts both as an astrin- 
gent and antiseptic. 

In all cases of fistulous withers where the bones are involved, or 
fistulous pipes run in various directions, I advise the owner of the 
animal to secure the services of a veterinary surgeon, for it is impos- 
sible to put on paper all the information which the pficuliiirity or 
emergency of the case may require. 



INELAMMATION OF THE LUNGS. 

This case will serve to illustrate my treatment. 

On Sept. 20th, I was called to visit a roan gelding, tire property 
of a gentleman of Chicago. On arriving at the place designated by 
the owner, I found the annimal in the following state: 

Head hung down; the eyes lacking somewhat their usual bright- 
ness; respirations rapid and somewhat laborious; pulse quick and 
strong ; membranes of the mouth and nose of a highly reddened 
hue; legs cold; slight cough; refused his feed, and would not lie 
down, his forelegs standing Avide apart: these were the key-notes, 
and I accordingly pronounced the disease Pneumonia. 

Treatment. — I consider nursing to be of very great advantage in 
the cure of disease, and I forthwith ordered my patient to be placed 
in a clean stall, where he might have the advantage of inhaling pure 
air. I also had his body well clothed. His legs were freely rubbed 
w^ith straw, and flannel bandages were wound around all four limbs 
from the hoof up to the knees. 

As he was now in the acute stages of the disease, and highly 
inflammatory action being present, I administered by drench the 
following : 

Aconite 20 drops. 

Water , 2 ounces. 

I then had a thin bran mash placed before him, and cautioned the 
hostler to withhold all oats and corn. Towards evening I gave him 
by drench. 

Blood-root , 2 drachms. 

and left him for the day. 

Second Day. Called and found him in much the same state, 
although I could perceive the respirations were not so hurried as on 
the day previous ; but he retained the highly inflammatory state, and 
also had a morbid thirst for water. I placed a bucket of cold water 
before him, first placing in the water half an ounce of nitrate of 
potass. I also had his sides rubbed with 

Powdered Mustard, ) Mixed together so as to 
Vinegar, j form a paste. 

I took off* the bandages, and rubbed his legs well until I had pro- 
duced an equal circulation of the blood all over the parts. 

Third Day. Found my patient with encouraging symptoms ; his 
breathing was not so hard ; pulse falling ; legs not so cold, but he 



32 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

was begiuning to show symptoms of de-bility, I therefore admin- 
istered 

Golden Seal .1 ounce. 

Ginger 1 drachm. 

Glycerine 1 " 

The disease was now bordering on the chronic state, and in con- 
sideration of this fact, the treatment required was tonics and those 
medicines in whose proj^ertiey there are agents which will co-operate 
T^ith nature in sustaining vitality and life. I left a dose of the fol- 
lowing, to be given in four hours after the first dose which I had 
administered : 

Golden Seal 1 ounce. 

Iodide of Potass 15 grains. 

Blood-root 1 drachm. 

Fourth Day. This morning I considered my patient a far differ- 
ent horse from what he was when I first commenced with him. He 
began to show symptoms of activity; held his head more erect; his 
eyes appeared brighter and his legs were warmer, and his whole 
appearance had undergone a great change, and in a very short space 
of time. I gave him a tonic, namely : 

Tr. Golden Seal 1 ounce. 

and informed the owner that I would call in the morning. 

Fifth Day. After examining my patient, I ordered the bandages 
to be taken from his limbs, and had him walked around in the open 
air. The owner then mentioned to me that he thought he needed no 
further treatment. This suggestion I complied with, and discharged 
the case. 

This is only one of the many cases which go to show how medi- 
cines of a sanative character will act upon disease, and how few 
take into consideration what harm they are doing and the small 
amount of benefit the animal derives, when these individuals are 
pouring an apothecary's shop down an animal. 

In the above disease of Pneumonia, care must be taken as soon 
the animal shows any symptoms of complaint, to place him in a dry 
clean stall, in which place he has the benefits derived from an un- 
adulterated atmosphere. Whatever feed is placed before him should 
be of a sloppy character, such as bran mashes, &c. And bear in 
mind there are but two conditions, namely — acute and chronic, and 
they are to be treated accordingly. 



GUTTA SERENA — {Dilatation of the Pupil.) 

Gutta Serena, sometimes called "amaurosis," consists of paraly- 
sis of the optic nerve; the diagnostic symptom, or Jcey note of the 
disease, is dilatation and fixedness of the pupil of the eye, and if a 
lighted candle be held to the same, it does not contract like the pupil 
of an eye unaffected. 

The symptoms of this kind of blindness, independent of the above, 
are active muscular motions of the ears, and lifting the fore feet 
higher than usual from the ground. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 33 

When Gutta Serena comes on in a slow and insidious manner, 
and has existed some time, it is sure to end in total blindness, but it 
is often a sympathetic affection, and subsides as soon as the disease 
which gave rise tO' it disappears. Whenever the affection is associ- 
ated with •other derangements, a mixture of golden seal and ginger, 
administered in two drachm doses once or twice daily, will afford 
relief. 



PARTIAL PARALYSIS IN MARES DURING THE PERIOD 
OF "HEAT" OR MENSTRUATION. 

My attention has often been called to 3Iares^ the subjects of a 
sort of hysterical affection, accompanied by partial paralysis of the 
hind extremities. It is quite common for mares that are barren to be 
afflicted wiUi this malady, for the simple reason that they are often 
the subjects of diseased ovaries. I once spayed a very valuable 
mare, a regular hysterical subject, who, <luring the menstrual period 
was uncontrollable, yet was often afflicted with partial paralysis ot 
the hind extremities. The operation was a perfect success, and the 
mare was finally sold for the sum of fifteen.hundred dollars. 

Partial paralysis, occurring in the male equine, is usually consid- 
ered as incurable, and I think it is from the fact that most practi- 
tioners resort to desperate means, in the use of strychnia, which, 
when adminstered in popular doses, is better calculated to kill than 
to cure; the patients often die, secundum artem^ poisoiied by 
Strychnine. "^•^- 

Ali curable cases of partial paralysis may be benefited by the use 
of anti'Spasmodics, which consist of camphor, Indian hemp, asa- 
foetida, musk or garlic: and this disease, like many others, is often 
self-limited. A little patience, a small quantity of anti-spasmodic 
medicine, given occasionally, will accomplish wonders, and often 
save a valuable animal, which, when otherwise treated, would be sure 
to die. As regards the *' male," the affection is said to be the pro 
perty of the matured animal, very rarely affecting colts. Fast trot- 
ters, omnibus horses, and animals subjected to extreme exertion, are 
most liable to it. The disease in the male is supposed to be eccen- 
tric, and therefore it is diflicult to say how it will terminate. It 
generally ruins the horse. n 



" STIFLE OUT." — (Luxation of the PateUa.) 

The Patella of the horse, or " Stifle-bone'* as it is sometimes 
called, corresponds to the knee-pan of the man, and performs the 
same office. The position of the bone is at the lower part of ^he 
femur, and upper part of the tibia. The bone itself is kept in posi- 
tion by strong ligaments, and in consequence of the presence of a 
large prominence or condyle on the inner and lower part of the 
femur. Dislocation inwardly very rarely, if ever, takes place ; the 
bone is, therefore, in case of luxation — stifle out — found on the outer 
and lower part of the thigh. 



34 TKEATMENT OF DISEASES 

An accident of the above named character is usually accompanied 
with much pain, and it is with great difficulty that the animal can 
be urged to leave the stall ; the limb is rigid, and it is a matter of 
impossibility to get it off the floor, for the simple reason that the 
stifle is thrown off its pulley-like articulatory surface, and the action 
of the joint is suspended. 

The liability to stifle-out^ or luxation of the patella^ is not so 
great as some persons would suppose ; I have seen but very few 
cases of the kind. Many times have I been requested to visit horsea 
said to have their stifle out, and on making examination have often 
found them subjects of cramps, or spasms, of the flexors; others 
have turned out to be cases of foot lameness, nail in foot, and even 
fracture of the pelvis. 

! So that the reader may not mistake a case of this character, I 
would inform him that the stifle is never out, unless the bone can be 
distinctly felt and seen, per tumor, on the outer and lower part of 
the thigh bone, at the same time the animal when urged to move 
does not raise the limb but drags it after him ; this accident can 
easily be distinguished from a case of spasm or cramps, from the 
fact that when cramp sets in, the limb becomes, as it were, riveted 
to the floor; this condition, however, is peculiar to the cramp of the 
flexors, or those muscles which are concerned in bending the affected 
limb. 

! Ileans of Reducing Dislocation of the Patella or Stifle. The 
means of reducing dislocation of the patella are very simple. The 
patella (stifle-bone), as I have already intimated, will be found on 
the outer side of the stifle joint. The person who proposes to 
accomplish the reduction must with his right hand (supposing the 
dislocation to be on the near or left limb) grasp the leg just below 
the hock, and gradually raise it upward and forward ; the left hand 
should, at the same time, embrace the stifle bone, then by joint 
action of pressing the bone inwards, raising and extending the 
limb, the stifle-bone slips into its proper position, and the reduction 
is then effected. It will be observed that at the moment when the 
stifle-bone slips into its proper position, a snapping sound is heard, 
like that when the head of one of the shaft bones is made to slip 
into its socket. As a precautionary measure, it is highly necessary 
that assistants should support the animal, lest he fall and injure both 
Jaimself and the operator. 

i According to the above rule, it is a very easy matter to reduce a 
recent dislocation ; and such requires very little after treatment, 
except rest, and the application, occasionally, of cold water. 
j When the stifle-bone has remained unreduced for many hours, it 
may be inferred that the ligaments, tendons, &c., have been so long 
stretched or distended that they will not immediately contract, so 
that unless we adopt measures to prevent it, a re-dislocation is very- 
apt to occur. To guard against this, a person has to be stationed 
80 as todvcep a hand on the stifle-bone, at the same time the region 
of the stifle must be constantly bathed with some astringent. A 
solution of alum will answer ; sometimes, however, it is necessary 
to shave the hair from the part and apply a strengthening plaster, 
composed of pitch, tar and rosin — equal parts ; these are to bo 
melted in a. tin or iron vessel, and when the mixture is sufficiently 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 35 

cool it may be spread on the region of tlie stifle by means of a knife 
or spatula; this is to be covered with a thin layer of wool or cotton 
batting. 

In days of yore it was customary to apply the stifle-shoe, but I 
think the practice is injudicious, highly injurious, and at the present 
period is scarcely, if over, advocated by men who do their own 
thinking and practice in accordance with the principles of common 
sense. 



BLINDNESS AMONG HORSES — ITS NATURE AND 

SYMPTOMS. 

A great proportion of these cases of blindness are the result of 
over-feeding ; our horses are notoriously fat, I do not mean that 
those note blind are in this condition, but that they were so ere 
blindness set in ; now, their digestive organs are the seat of func- 
tional disorder ; consequently they are, in this condition, more apt 
to lose rather than gain flesh. 

It is quite a common practice among dealers to force their horses 
into a fat and sleek condition ere they oifer them for sale. The ani- 
mal undergoes the stuffing process ; his stomach is converted into a 
grist mill ; the food (Indian corn) is rich in oxygen or fat, contains 
more of the fat-making principle than any other article of equine 
diet; and under the condition of rest, in warm city stables, adipose 
or fatty matter accumulates very rapidly, and is stored up in the 
cellular tissues, and as the fatty matter preponderates, the muscular 
structures degenerate. 

Butchers are well acquainted with the fact that very fat carcasses 
contain but little meat or muscle, and even the heart of a fat animal 
often contains a coiasiderable quantity of fat globules, insinuated 
between its muscular fibres. This condition impairs the heart's 
function, and constitutes a disease known as fatty degeneration. 
This is the effect which food, rich in sugar or oxygen, has on the 
animal economy. Now, in this land of plenty, and in this region, 
which is the great national bread-basket, there is danger of over- 
feeding horses. In view, therefore, of preventing plethora and 
blindness, horse owners must dip a lighter hand into the corn bin. 

Blindness occurs as follows: When blindness occurs as a func- 
tional disorder, it is often the result of a disturbed sympathetic rela- 
tion between the brain and the stomach ; and an overworked or an 
over-distended stomach may not occasion any local pain, but often 
operates with that kind of influence on the brain which gives rise to 
symptoms, not stomachic, but cerebral. The brain once aff'ected, 
then commences morbid action in the eye, or eyes, as the case may 
be, through the operation or medium of the optic nerve, which orig- 
inates in the base of the brain. 

It appears to me that many of the horses daily parading our 
cities, blind in one or both eyes, must labor under some peculiar 
predisposition to derangement and diseases of the organs of vision, 
and whenever the ordinary exciting causes (errors in diet) are ope- 
rative for any length of time, they develop a morbid condition, 



36 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

which might otherwise have remained latent during the natural 
period of the awimaPs life. 

It is a well known law of the animal oconomy, that predispositions 
to various forms of disease are transmitted through the sexual con- 
gress to offspring, and in the system of the latter may remain latent 
until the cojiditions favorable for the development of the constitu- 
tional malady are presented, which are nothing more nor less than 
the ordinary exciting causes of disease. 

In some parts of the United States similar errors in the feeding 
of horses produce blind-staggers, stoipach-staggers, and organic dis- 
ease of the brain ; tliis goes to show tliat in such cases the animals 
are more predisposed to cerebral disease than to disease of the 
organs of vision. 

In view of j^reventing diseases of the above character, proper 
attention must be paid to the principles of breeding, and all animals 
showing the least symptoms of organic disease should be rejected. 
The disease itself may not be transmitted, only a predisposition 
thereto, and this is usually the case when only one of the parents is 
afflicted ; when both parents are the subjects of analogous predis- 
positions or maladies, then they appear in an augmented form in the 
systems of their offspring. 

Whenever an animal shows the least symptoms of blindness, he 
should be kept on a light diet of hay and oats. Such horses can be 
kept in a perfectly good condition on twelve pounds of hay and five 
pounds of oats. This amount is all that is necessary for the preser- 
vation of the integrity of their organism ; all beyond this amount is 
either expelled with the excrements or stored up in the cellular tis- 
sues of the body in the form of fat. 

One of the principal symptoms attending incipient blindness, and 
one which ordinary observers might be apt to notice, is the motion 
of the fore limbs; it will be observed that they are raised from the 
ground to an unnecessary height, the ears, at the same time, being 
drawn^ forwards and backwards in quick succession, showing that 
the animal is sounding the ground over which he travels, after the 
fashion of a blind man with his walking-stick, thus placing more 
dependence on the sense of hearing than on that of sight. 



OPHTHALMIA. {Inflammation of the 3femhranes of the Eye.) 

Simple Ophthalmia sometimes appears very suddenly, com- 
mencing with swollen eyelids, and a highly reddened state of the 
membranes which line the same, as well as of that Avhich covers a 
portion of the eyeball; scalding tears run down the cheeks, and the 
animal avoids light. There are several other diseases peculiar to the 
eye, most of them of dn organic character, and incurable, hence, I 
shall not trouble the reader with any remarks on such subjects. 

Treatment of Inflammation of the Eye. — The treatment is 
very simple ; bathe the forehead and region of the eyes very fre- 
quently with cold water, keep the patient in a dark corner of the 



PECULIAE TO HOKSES. 3T 

stable, feed him on sloppy mashes, and give him four drachms of 
nitrate of potass, night and morning, for a few days. 

Should the animal manifest symptoms of much pain, take one 
ounce of laudanum, one drachm of glycerine, and three ounces of 
rain water — manage to introduce a portion of the same two or three 
times per day wilhin the eyelids; then dissolve half a pound of 
Glauber salts in two quarts of water ; when dissolved, stir in about 
two quarts of bran ; set the same before the animal and he will eat 
it. Should this fail, at the expiration of twelve hours, to relax the 
bowels, repeat the dose. This simple plan of treatment usually suc- 
ceeds in restoring the healthy condition of the parts. 



SORE MOUTH. 

Sore mouth or excoriation is often produced by damaged fodder, 
such as musty clover, &c. ; at other times, the angles of the mouth 
become sore by an unwarrantable use of the check-rein, and from 
irritation produced by the bit. 

Teeatmext. — First remove the cause, and then swab the mouth 
by means of a sponge, twice daily, with a portion of the following : 

Powdered Alum 2 ounces. 

Glycerine 1 " 

Water 1 quart. 

Mix. 



LAMPAS. 

Lampas consists of tumefaction of the palate, or bars of the 
mouth. Most young horses are observed to have Lampas, and some 
persons have an idea that it occasions loss of appetite and many 
other ills ; but such is not the case. All that is necessary to do, is to 
make use of some astringent lotion, composed of alum and water, 
and feed a few bran mashes. 

Formerly it was considered necessary to cauterize the palate, but 
this is an unnecessary and barbarous practice. 



EXCOPJATED MOUTH FROM SHARP TEETH. 

Occasionally the outer edges of the grinders become sharp, from 
uneven wear, and produce irritation on the inner membrane of the 
cheeks. When the irritation is confined to one side, the head of the 
animal deviates from a direct line, and as the saying is, he carries 
his head towards his side ; when both sides are affected, the animal 
will often drop food from his mouth, and it will be evident that the 
act of mastication occasions pain. The remedy is a tooth rasp : 
the sharp edges must be rasped smooth. 



38 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

APHTHiE. {Thrush in the 3Iouth.) 

Aphthae is a very common affection among horses in the spring 
and autumn ; it consists of tumefaction of the tongue and lips, and 
the appearance of little tumors and vesicular eruptions within and 
around the mouth — the latter being hot and inflamed. The disease 
affects the general health, for the functions of the body are de- 
ranged ; the animal appears dull, and will often refuse to partake of 
food. 

Treatment. — Keep the patient on a diet of gruel, or sloppy bran 
mashes, and bathe the mouth several times daily with a portion of 
the following: 

Pyroligneous Acid 3 ounces. 

Water 1 quart. 

Mix. 
If the acid cannot be procured, substitute the following : 

Borax * 2 ounces. 

Honey 1 gill. 

Watei' . - -JL quart 



EPIZOOTIC APTHA. 

" This disease is commonly known as the foot and mouth com- 
plaint. It is a febrile and highly contagious disease, readily com- 
municable to different species of animals, and for this reason is 
designated a panzootic affection. 

"Although it is met with in the horse, hare, pig, &c., yet it is most 
commonly noticed in the ox and sheep, in which animals it occurs as 
a vesicular eruption, breaking out on the gums, lips, teats, and 
around the coronary surface of the hoof. 

" In tins disease the ox exhibits the following symptoms : suspen- 
sion of rumination, constipation, great flow of saliva from the mouth, 
and severe lameness. 

" Milk obtained from apthous cows should never be drunk, as it is 
very likely to produce a similar disease in the human subject. To 
prove this fact, Hertwig, together with Villain and Ilann, drank the 
warm milk of an apthous cow, and the result was that they all be- 
came subjects of the severe inflammation of the throat, associated 
with vesicular eruptions. Professor Simons gave warm milk taken 
from an apthous cow to young pigs, and in each case aptha resulted. 

"Epizootic aptha spreads amongst sheep as a consequence of actual 
contact with the virus, which is deposited on the pasture by one and 
taken up by another, either through the medium of the mouth or 
digits, and by this means a whole flock soon becomes affected. 

" Treatment.— Wash the mouth, lips and teats with sulphuric 
acid and water, half an ounce of the former to a pint of the latter, and 
the feet with equal parts of hydrocloric acid and water ; and admin- 
ister, daily, nitrate of potash and chloride of sodium, of each three 
ounces. If the udder' becomes affected, or induration of the teat 



PECULIAR TO H0ESE8. 89 

supervenes, warm fomentations must be constantly applied to the 
Dart, and a tube should be put up the teat, in order to facilitate the 
escape of milk." 



SPASMODIC COLIC, AND ITS TREATMENT. 

Spasmodic Colic is a disease of very frequent occurrence among 
horses, and in view of giving the readers of this work some definite 
ideas of its seat, nature, and treatment, I introduce the following 
as the result of my experience. 

The appellation of colic is usually given to abdominal pain, as it 
occurs in the intestines of horses ; it is, however, a very different 
condition from that known as inflammation of the intestines, yet the 
former often merges into the latter. Spasmodic colic, therefore, 
consists of a morbid contraction of the muscular fibres of some part 
of the intestinal tube, accompanied by pain, and constitutes what is 
generally called *' stoppage." 

The small intestine is the usual seat of spasmodic colic ; and dis- 
sections show irregular contractions and shortenings of the intes- 
tines, accompanied by engorgements. A few remarks on the struc- 
ture of the intestines, will enable the reader to understand how, 
and by what means, the spasmodic action takes place. 

The intestinal tube of the horse, which is about ninety feet in 
length, is composed of three coats. The first^ or external, is the 
peritoneal ; a tunic or covering, which, after having furnished a 
smooth, glistening lining to the interior of the whole abdominal 
cavity, is reflected over the intestines and gives to them a complete 
covering, identical with that which they are constantly in contact 
with. The second coat is composed of muscular fibres of two 
orders, one running longitudinally, the other circular. Should con- 
traction occur in the longitudinal fibres, the bowel is proportionally 
shortened ; when it occurs in the circular fibres, the calibre of the 
intestines is decreased, and sometimes in severe spasm, complete 
stricture of the part takes place ; this I have known to continue 
even after death, when it was found difticult to pass a small tube 
through the contraction. The reader will perceive that if contrac- 
tion of both these orders of fibres should occur, the intestines will 
present a knotted appearance. The thirds or inner coat of the intes- 
tines, is of a villous, or rather, mucous character ; its surfxce is 
adapted for secretion and absorption — thus by means of its lacteals, 
alimentary and other matters are imbibed or absorbed and conveyed 
into the general circulation. By means of an innumerable number 
of small glands, a fluid is secreted, which finds its way to the surface 
of the mucous membrane, and there operates to prevent mechanical 
irritation, which may follow the administration of drastic cathartics 
and poisons, or may result from the action of indigestible food, such 
as bad hay, straw, corn-stalks, &c. 

Now the question arises — by what means is spasm of the bowels 
produced ? The ordinary cause is the application of a stimulus or 
agent, which calls into activity the contractile power of the involun- 
tary muscular fibres of the intestines. It may follow the act of im- 
bibing a quantity of cold water; or may result from the presence of 



4:0 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

something within the intestinal tube, there generated, such as an 
acid or an alkali ; generated in consequence of a morbid condition 
of the salivail or tlio gastric fluids, and from the presence of worms. 
But spasm of tlie bowels is produced more easily by a peculiar stim- 
ulus conveyed through the nerves whicli are connected with, and 
supply nervous force lo those muscles at the seat of spasm. I wish 
the reader to understand that it does not matter much whether the 
stimulus, which occasions the state of spasm, be applied to the ex- 
ternal or internal surfaces; for it is w^ell known that horses of a 
peculiar nervous temperament when heated by exercise and then 
driven into water, will occasionally be attacked with cramp or spasm, 
and even locked jaw; and locked jaw is a disease of the same class 
and order as spasm of the bowels, only located in a different part of 
the body. The reason why external and internal stimuli act pre- 
cisely alike to produce spasm, in the predisposed subject, is because 
the ultimate nerve fibres have a similar distribution on external as 
well as internal surfaces. 

This peculiar arrangement of the nervous system, of a two-fold 
character, appears to be a wise arrangement : Firsts it brings the 
psychical endowments of animals into relation with the external 
world and its influences; informing them, through the medium of 
the organs of sensation, of the changes which take place under con- 
ditions of the atmosphere known as " heat and cold" ; and in their 
undomesticated state, the conscious, or instinctive mind receives an 
instructive lesson and acts accordingly, so as to guard against dan- 
ger. Secondly^ an impression made on the internal surface of the 
intestines, reacts through its nervous and motor apparatus, precisely 
as if applied to the external surface of the body, and excites or 
arouses voluntary and involuntary action and spasm, as the case may 
be, purely on the principle of self-preservation, and of resisting in- 
juries when threatened. 

Treatment. — To one ounce of fluid extract of lobelia add three 
drachms of sulphuric aether; mix this in a small quantity of sweet- 
ened water, and drench the patient with the same : the lobelia and 
aether act as anti-spasmodics, and tend to relax the spasm of the 
bowels. 

Then take two ounces of fluid extract of lobelia, two quarts of 
warm water, and throw the same into the rectum by means of a 
syringe. 

Should the above treatment not relieve the animal, I should 
eetherize him, and apply a stimulating liniment to the abdomen, and 
after the animal recovers from the effects of the aether, a few drops 
more of lobelia will do him no harm; yet, if he is relieved, the med- 
icine should be dispensed with. 



FLATULENT COLIC. 

Flatulent Colic is the result of derangement of the digestive or- 
gans : the food, without being properly digested, runs into fermenta- 
tion, and generates gas within the stomach and intestines. 



PECULIAR TO HOESHS. 4] 

The malady is easily recognized from the fact that the abdomen 
is distended, and if the walls of the same be struck, a windy sound 
is elicited ; and it will be noticed that gas escapes from the anus, 
and sometimes from the mouth. 

The animal is usually in great pain, and will tumble about in the 
stable, rolling from side to side, in view of obtaining relief. 

Treatment. — The principal object to be accomplished, is, first, to 
give tone to the stomach, and arouse the digestive function, so as to 
put a stop to fermentation ; this accomplished, the animal is almost 
sure to recover. 

In this view I recommend the following : 

Powdered Ginger 1 ounce. 

" Golden Seal 1 " 

Carbonate of Soda ^ 4 drachms. 

Warm Water 1 pint. 

Mix ; and drench the animal with the same. 
The next best remedy is : 

Fluid Extract of Ginger . „ 1 ounce. 

" " of Golden Seal 1 " 

Carbonate of Soda 4 drachms. 

Warm Water .t piiit. 

Mix ; and drench. 
After administering the medicine, throw into the rectum enemas, 
composed of warm water and common salt. 

In the course of a few hours the animal will get relief; if he 
should grow worse, repeat the dose, and lubricate the abdomen with 
stimulating liniment. 



BRONCHO CELE. 

Bronchocele is a very common affection among horses ; the mal- 
ady is known to veterinary surgeons as enlargement of the thyroid 
glands; the enlargement is sometimes the sequel of epizootic and 
enzootic, affections, and it often accompanies the affection known as 
sore throat. 

Treatment. — Give the patient twenty grains of iodide of Dotass 
daily, which may be dissolved in the water which is ofiered him, 
and rub the swellings daily with a small quantity of tincture of 
iodine, or if the 3Iagnetic Liniment can be procured, use it. 

Should the above treatment fail, give the patient a few doses of 
the Magnetic Horse Powders, (See Magnetic Horse Powders.) 



BRUISE OF THE SOLE. 

Bruise of the sole of the foot, is the consequence of the animal 
treading on a stone or rail iron ; the result is, extravasation of blood 
within the articulatory surfaces of the sensitive and insensitvie lami- 
ns6; the accident is almost always sure to result in lameness. 



4:2 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

Treatment. — Keep the foot constantly wet with cold water; 
excuse the animal from duty, and give him a chance to breathe pure 
air ; have patience, and the horse will soon get well. 

Should the patient appear to suffer much pain, give him twenty 
drops of tincture of aconite every four hours, until relief is obtained; 
and feed him on bran mashes, allowing, at the same time, a small 
quantity of hay, in view of distending the stomach to a healthy 
capacity. 



CORNS m HORSES. ''JSTo Foot no Horse?' 

A horse the subject of corns is expected to have defective feet, 
hence the above quotation is " true as gospel.'* 

That peculiar disease occurring within the inner quarter of the 
fore feet of horses, known as corn, is a very different affection from 
that peculiar to the feet of man. In horses, corn is neither more nor 
less than extravasation, which signifies escape of blood from it? 
proper vessels into the surrouaiding tissues of the part. This extra- 
vasation or escaped blood, finally coagulates, and creates a black 
spot, known as the *' corn-spot"; this is exposed on paring the sole 
at its inner quarter. All blood which escapes in this way becomcF 
as a foreign body, yet in some parts of the system, where the ab- 
sorbent vessels are very numerous and active, the foreign deposit is 
soon removed by the ordinary process of absorption; but within the 
dense tissues of a horse's foot this process is tardy, sometimes im- 
possible, consequently, matter or pus is generated between the 
sensitive and non-sensitive parts, and a passage must finally be cre- 
ated for the liberation of the imprisoned matter ; for it cannot escape 
through the dense structure composing the hoof itself; hence it bur- 
rows and migrates in various directions from the sole, and lastly 
creates an outlet at the inner and upper part of tne hoof, where the 
matter escapes. 

Treatment of Corn. — The only chance of relieving the animal 
is to remove the shoe and apply one having a slight concavity at the 
former seat of pressure; or if the animal has a prominent frog, the 
bar-shoe can be attached; previous to doing so, however, the corn- 
spot can be slightly pared, and whenever there appears to be any 
pressure on the sole at the quarters, the shoe must be removed and 
adapted as above. The theory, therefore, in the treatment of corn, 
is to secure a vacancy between the heel and the shoe. 

If tho horse happens to be " dead lame," and tenderness and 
swelling are observed at the upper part of the hoof, the part ma^ 
then be punctured with a lancet; after squeezing out the imprisoned 
matter, the part should be dressed, daily, with fir balsam. In somf 
cases of suppurated corn the matter must be liberated, by making 
an opening through the sole of the inner quarter ; this is also to be 
dressed with fir balsam ; the shoe to remain off for a few days. 



PECULIAK TO HORSES. 4:2 

CRIBBING OR CRIB-BITING. 

"Is Cribbing a Disease?" — I answer that it is not. It is not 
injurious to the horse that practices it, and the Court of Appeals 
have pronounced in favor of its innocuousness. Cribbing comes 
under the denomination of a bad habit or vice, which, like other bad 
habits or vices, is both inherited and acquired; it prevails mostly 
among horses of a windy or coHcky predisposition. Yet any horse 
with a bad example near him, in the form of a confirmed cribber, 
and having but little to do except to devour hay and grain, may 
finally be(u>me a cribber; hence, horses like men, are not benefited 
by keeping bad company. 

I am willing to admit that cribbers are not always in the best con- 
dition, although some of them have but little to do and plenty to eat ; 
in fact many such animals appear lank and lean, yet it will be no- 
ticed that they almost always have a bulky abdomen, which is gen- 
erally occupied by gas ; this gas is not swallowed in the act of crib- 
bing, as many persons suppose, but is generated within the stomach 
and intestines, in consequence of functional derangement of the diges- 
tive organs; hence, in plain language, most cribbers maybe con- 
sidered as the subjects of a most prevalent and fashionable malady, 
known to prevail among the members of the human species, called 
indigestion or dyspepsia. 

The following paragraph I select from Mr. PercivaPs writings, 
which is more authoritative than anything I may possibly offer: 

*' In general, crib-biting ought rather to be regarded as a vice oi 
habit than a disease; the latter I have never been able to regard it. 
Horses that are old crib-biters present the inconvenience of being 
faulty feeders— they require a great deal to satisfy them, and those 
which generate air in their stomachs are very subject to attacks oi 
windy colic." 

Finally, a crib-biter often grows poor, not because he is a cribber, 
but for the simple reason that in his dyspeptic condition the diges- 
tive organs fail to elaborate from the food the requisite amount oi 
chyme, chyle and bk>od, for the renovation and growth of the ani- 
mal fabric. 

CEREBRAL APOPLEXY. 

The following case will illustrate the pathology of the disease: 

I was requested a short time ago to visit an animal the subject oi 
cerebral apoplexy. 

Position of the Animal.— The position very clearly indicated 
disease of the brain, for he stood as if in the act of forging forwards, 
with his head against the sides of the crib,, and it was with con- 
siderable diffieulty that he could be made to "back," and when 
once out of the ctall he manifested unsteadiness as when attacked 
with staggers. 

Noticeable Symptoms.— The pulse at the angle of the jaw could 
scarcely be felt, showing a feeble action of the heart ; limbs and 
ears rather chilly ; the nasal membranes of a leaden or bluish cast. 



44 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

On turning up one of the eyelids, it appeared highly congested, 
presenting a uniform brown reddish tinge, occasioned by obstruction 
in the capillaries and a highly carbonized state of the blood. The 
respirations were tubulous and slightly stertorous, which signifies 
that the lungs w^ere not properly inflated, respiration being princi- 
pally carried on in the passages which lead to the lungs. Stertorous 
Bignities snoring, the act of inspiration being accompanied with a 
sort of snoring sound. 

On observing the flanks the respiration appeared labored and 
quickened, which led some persons present to infer that the animal 
had lung fever ; but on applying my ear to various parts of the 
region of the chest, I became satisfied that the lungs were healthy, 
and therefore pronounced the case as one of cerebral apoplexy^ as it 
proved to be. The flank movements, therefore, were of a purely 
mechanical or auxiliary character. 

PuoGNOsis. — Prognosis, which signifies foreknowledge of the 
course, event, or termination of disease, is sometimes impossible 
to foresee, and as regards this case, which appeared to be mild in 
the beginning, I was unwilling to predict an issue, or rather to foretell 
the event of the malady. 

The difficulties in the way of predicting with any degree of cer- 
tainty, were as follows : 1st, The animal was young and had always 
enjoyed perfect health, never having shown the least predisposi- 
tion to disease in any form. 2nd, Two days prior to the attack, he 
had been driven a long distance, and on arriving at his quarters ap- 
peared merely fatigued, and the groom noticed that his excrement 
was coated with slime, and from these circumstances we might 
rationally infer that the digestive organs were deranged ; hence the 
brain difficulty might possibly be of a sympathetic character; and if 
so, the patient might recover. 

I therefore informed the owner of my patient, that, if the disease 
was merely functional, he might expect recovery; if otherwise, the 
disease being organic, death would surely ensue. 

Treatment and Termination of the Case. — I administered 
diff*usible stimulants by tl>e mouth and rectum, applied counter 
irritants composed of turpentine, oil and ammonia; the limbs were 
rubbed with wisps of straw and then enveloped in flannel ; the region 
of the cranium (which was very hot) was bathed with cold water. 
Reaction took place, and the animal appeared more lively; the sur- 
face of the body regained its normal temperature, and to all appear- 
ance the condition of the patient was many removes from that of a 
dying creature; but alas for human calculation ! all at once he was 
seized with convulsions and suddenly died. 

Autopsy. — On removing a triangular piece of the cranium (scull) 
and its membrane, the superficial vessels of the brain appeared 
highly congested ; on puncturing the pia mater (the membranous 
covering proper of the brain), serum, or water, exuded, indicating 
dropsy of the brain, and a quantity of dark colored or highly car- 
bonized blood escaped, showing very conclusively that the cause 
of his sudden death was rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. 



PECULIAK TO HORSES. 



ENLARGEMENT OF THE SPLEEN. 



45 



A short time ago I visited a black gelding, aged nine years ; he 
had shown some symptoms of illness for several days, being rather 
dull and weak in his legs. 

On examination the following symptoms were noticed: pulse quite 
feeble; respiration natural; tongue coated with a brown secretion; 
mouth hot, and a foetid odor from the same is perceptible ; the visi- 
ble surfaces of the mouth are pale, yet have a yellow tinge ; the 
nasal membranes are of a leaden hue ; the head droops and the tips 
of the ears are chilly ; the patient is rather unwilling to move, and 
when urged to do so, exhibits a staggering gait ; the bowels are lax 
(the excrement appearing like cow manure,) and the owner of the 
animal informs me that the urine is scanty and dark colored. 

Percussion over the region of the liver (on the right side,) elicits 
an unusual dull sound, indicative of a diseased liver ; on percussing 
the left side in the region of the spleen, a solid sound is elicited, 
and an evident enlargement of the spleen is perceptible. 

Twelve hours after this examination the animal died. 

Record op the Autopsy. — On opening the abdominal cavity, 
the spleen was found to occupy a very large space ; it was of im- 
mense proportions, and weighed nearly twelve pounds (the ordinary 
weight is three pounds) ; it presented the appearance of a spleen in 
the chronic stage of disease — excessively enlarged and altered in 
structure; it was of a pitchy black color, and was surcharged with 
blood. 

The liver appeared to be much enlarged, hardened, and discolored, 
and on cutting into it, various small tubercular deposits were ex- 
posed ; all the other organs appeared to be healthy. A case of this 
kind is always beyond the reach of art — incurable. 

Remarks on the Spleen. — The spleen, known to bi^Btchers as 
the milt or melt^ is a spongy substance, located on the left side, be- 
tween the stomach and the false ribs. It presents a blue mottled 
appearance externally ; internally, it is dark colored. 

Its internal surface is concave, by which arrangement it is per- 
fectly adapted to occupy a locality of the stomach which in form is 
convex. 

The spleen, like other organs within the abdomen, receives a cov- 
ering from the peritoneum, and when this covering is stripped off, 
we discover a body soft, lacerable and spongy. 

It is supposed that the spleen does not perform any secretory 
function, and physiologists have hitherto failed in detecting any 
excretory vessel, or duct. In these respects it differs from all other 
glands of the body ; in fact, having neither secretory nor excretory 
vessels, it cannot, with propriety, be classed as a gland. 

The anatomy of the spleen is as follows : It is furnished with 
arteries, from the cseliac ; the casliac terminates in the splenic, and 
the splenic furnishes the spleen with blood (the " casliac" arises from 
the abdominal aorta) ; and these arteries, after being dispersed within 
the substance of the spleen, find innumerable ramifications, and 
ultimately terminate in cells of a membranous character ; from this 



IG TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

cell arrangement springs innumerable venous radicles. The spleen 
being very spongy, and porous, is capable of undergoing great dis- 
tension, without danger of rupture ; in fact, it sometimes acquires 
an enormous size, without loss of continuity. The spleen is deli- 
cately organized with nerves, and presents an intricate net- work of 
absorbents ; the nerves of the spleen are given oif from the caeliac 
plexus. 

Notwithstanding the fact that the spleen does not perform the 
functions just alluded to, it is a very important organ, and serves as 
a diverticulum to the liver; when thus employed it tends to prevent 
congestion of the liver. 



BIG-HEAD AND BIG-JAW. 

Preliminary. — The terms big-head and big-jaw are used by 
husbandmen and others in Ohio, and indeed throughout the great 
"West and South, to designate a disease of the bony structure of 
the horse, a disease about which very little, of a reliable character, 
has ever been said or w^ritten. Yet the subject is one of great im- 
portance to the people of this country, for the simple reason that the 
evil is one of alarming proportions, and should the disease multiply 
in a ratio equal to that of the few past years, it will be a terrible 
blow to the laudable and hitherto profitable enterprise of raising 
colts, in sections where this disease prevails. 

I do not w^ish to create any unnecessary alarm, but I urge the hus- 
bandmen of the South and South-West, to give this subject their 
earnest consideration ; for the disease probably has an heredi- 
tary origin — " is inbred," and that, as the saying is, " constitutes 
the root of the evil," and the disease having been pronounced incura- 
ble, our only hopes of success in putting a stop to its propagation 
and development, is to adopt preventive measures by rejecting, as 
breeders, all animals — sire and dam — that show the least predisposi- 
tion to or for this affection. Let the reader understand that the 
disease itself is incurable, in so far as the enlargement, dilatation, 
and softening of the jaw bones is concerned; yet like spavin, ring- 
bone and various other diseases, it is accompanied, in certain stages, 
by lameness, and our services as physicians, are only secured in view 
of removing this lameness, so that the animal may be enabled to 
perform the ordinary equine duties; this is what some persons please 
to term a cure, w^hereas, it almost always happens that some altera- 
tion in the structure of the parts remains, which actually renders the 
horse unsound, because he has that about him, which may from over- 
work, or other exciting causes, impair his usefulness. 

As regards the "alarming" features of big-head or big-jaw, I 
would inform the reader, that almost every lame horse, examined by 
me during a period of six months, had either one or the other of the 
jaws enlarged; in some cases one angle of the lower jaw was the 
seat of thickening and enlargement, but among the majority both 
angles were affected.* 

* These remarks do not apply to other obvious or accidental lamenesses which are also constantly 
occurrics. 



PECULIAE TO HOESES. 47 

A short time ago, I visited, in company with a practicing veteri- 
narian, whose attention had never been called to this affection, three 
horses, the subjects of lameness, which was said to be occasioned by 
eating Hungarian grass: to the astonishment of the parties con- 
cerned, I demonstrated that they were all the subjects of enlargements 
of the lower jaws, and from the history of thecases and the charac- 
ter of the lameness, it was very evident, that it was of an articular 
character, and this is a peculiar feature of this affection. Then again 
the reader must bear in mind, that the jaws of animals do not dilate 
nor enlarge suddenly, nor make appearance all at once, like a meteor 
in regions of space; the affection is insidious, progresses in an almost 
imperceptible manner, and usually escapes the notice of those who 
daily have charge of and handle the animal, as the following case, 
which is selected from among many others, will serve to illustrate : 

About eighteen months ago a gentleman purchased what then ap- 
peared as a tine family horse, a sorrel gelding, aged five years. About 
the beginning of March, one year after the purchase, in attempting 
to walk the animal from one stable to another, but a short distance 
off, he became suddenly lame in one of the hind limbs — low down 
towards the foot — and it was found almost impossible to urge him 
forward; finally assistance was procured, and the animal had, literal- 
ly, to bo carried into a stable. My services having been secured, I 
visited the sufferer, and found him standing on three legs, the near 
hind one being placed resting on the toe ; the parts around the coro- 
net were hot, and the patient was very unwilling to have the part 
handled; he seemed to suffer much pain, was breathing hurriedly, 
and the pulsations were quick and wiry ; the near approach of any 
person seemed to terrify the animal, and he actually trembled from 
fear and pain, when ordered to move. On making an examination of 
the jaws, I found that both angles of the lower jaw were enlarged 
to about two inches in thickness ; this explained the nature of the 
sudden, and otherwise mysterious lameness ; the articulating sur- 
faces of various bones, and the bones themselves, had become dis- 
eased, as is often the case in big-jaw. The owner assured me that 
the horse had never before been lame, and he was very much sur- 
prised to find the lower jaw enlarged. Here the reader will perceive 
that the animal had been in Mr. W.'s possession one year, had per- 
formed ordinary labor, yet was the subject of a gradual enlargement 
of the jaw, and a constitutional disease, which probably existed, yet 
in a slight degree, at the time of purchase ; hence I contend that the 
disease in its early stages is of a hidden or insidious character, and 
requires some tact and knowledge of the subject in order to -de- 
tect it. 

Natttre op the Disease. — Big-hcadi and big-jaw, are but -on© 
form of disease, only located in different parts. When the upper 
one becomes the seat of affection, an enlargement of the facial bones 
will be observed, and the examiner's attention will be attracted by 
the unnatural appearance of the face; as the disease progresses, the 
face looks more like that of an elephant than of a horse, and now 
the disease being incurable, the subject should mercifully be put out 
of his misery. The enlargement of the lower jaw is discovered by 
manipulation. 



4:8 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

On removing the skin from the sides of the face of such a subject, 
and dissecting the muscles and periosteum (covering of bone), th^ 
bones appear to have undergone a softening process, and particles 
can be separated by means of the finger nails ; at the same time if a 
transverse section of any of the shall bones be made, they will be 
found to have undergone structural changes; for example, thoy will 
not only appear softened but honey-combed, and many of the Jaminse 
and cartilaginous braces will have been decomposed or dissolved, so 
that the bone looks like fibrous net work. In most cases, the vacui- 
ties and canals are filled with material resembling soft cheese, which 
is probably fatty matter; this occasionally degenerates into pus. 

Dr. Gordon forwarded me, some time ago, the head of a horse 
who had long been the subject of this malady. The transverse di- 
ameter of the bones of both upper and lower jaw, was very much 
enlarged ; the periosteum was very highly organized with bloodness ; 
the bones were softened and elastic, and could be easily cut with a 
knife. On submitting them to the acid test, earthy matter was found 
in excess, and by burning them, it was found that they contained 
very little animal matter; hence I was led to infer that the disease 
is one of mal-nutrition. 

The articular surfaces of various bones, and sometimes all the 
bones of the body, are often ulcerated and studded with incrusta- 
tions; this explains the why and wherefore of the sudden and tor- 
menting pains which animals suffer, and goes to show how little of 
benefit can be expected from the ordinary treatment, which is prin- 
cipally directed to the enlarged jaws. 

On removing these diseased cartilages from the articulating sur- 
faces of bones, the latter are found to be affected — in fact, ulcerated. 
In some cases the ligaments and tendons araseparated by decompo- 
sition or necrosis of bone, and the animal "breaks down," as the 
saying is. 

The subjects of this disease sometimes show lameness in the ver- 
tebral region, and in that of the head of the thigh bone; in such 
cases we may safely infer that the Jameness is of an articular char- 
acter, and tlie inter articular cartilages, as well as the surfaces of 
the bones, are incrustrated and ulcerated; in this condition the ani- 
mal is liable to become useless, "or break down" at any moment 
The following briefcase will illustrate what is meant by " breaking- 
down:" 

I was requested a short time ago by Prof. Muzzy to examine an 
aged gray gelding, the subject of lameness in the nearjliind foot; 
examination revealed considerable heat, tenderness and tumefaction 
around both the hind coronets, and both angles of the lower jaw 
much enlarged in their transverse diameters. I advised the owner 
to let the animal have a run at grass; accordingly he was sent into 
the country, about thirty miles (which waS too long a journey for 
him) ; a few days afterwards Frof. Muzzy received a letter, stating 
that the horse's strings (tendons) became loose, that he broke dow'n 
and traveled on his fetlocks, and was then dead. I infer that necro- 
sis took place and the extensor tendons lost their attachment, which 
accounted for his "breaking down." 

Prof Varnell lately consulted Dr. Harley of London in reference to 
this formidable malady, which is said to have been almost unknown 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 49 

in England until November, 1859, when several cases occurred among 
some horses, the property of Mr. Champion Calcot, near Reading. 
Three of this gentleman's animals had died, a fourth was not ex- 
pected to live many days, and two others were laboring under the 
same disease, in a less acute form. The most singular feature of 
the disease, as it appeared on the premises of Mr. Calcot, were, that 
it did not appear to owe its origin to any perceivable cause, and it 
was not known to be prevalent in any other part of England. Still, 
my opinion is that it does exist in that country, only not being sus- 
pected is not sought for. It prevails very extensively among horses 
brought to Ohio, and hundreds of horses are purchased for the 
American army in the course of a few months, having more or less 
enlargement of the lower jaw, yet I do not belive that either seller 
or purchaser suspects the same. This arises from a lack of know- 
ledge on the subject, and the same remarks, so far as our ignorance 
of the subject is concerned, may apply to England. 

In answer to questions put to Mr. Calcot on the subject of m^an- 
agement, &c., he contends that the aflected animals had plenty of 
exercise; there were no chemical factories or .works in the vicinity; 
one horse affected was purchased at a distance, the rest had been 
bred on his farm; the sires and dams ail appeared free from the dis- 
ease, and they were not all got by the same sire; the food consisted 
of good grass, hay, pollard, oatmeal and roots: other horses were 
on the farm, fed in tlie same manner as the affected ones, yet they 
had no symptoms of the disease (perhaps they will show symptoms 
when the jaws shall be examined — they may have the disease, yet 
not be lame or apparently ailing.) Mr. Calcot never saw a case of 
the kind before. From the above testimony, we may infer that the 
causes of this affection are not yet discovered in England, but my 
impression is, that overfeeding has a good deal to do in the produc- 
tion of the malady. 

It appears to me that this disease, as I have already written, is 
one of raal-nutrition or defective nourishment ; hence, may be con- 
sidered as a scorbutic affection, like that affecting the human sub- 
ject, which is known to be the result of faulty nutrition, and which 
often results in division of bony parts which were once immovable — 
the epiphysis of the pelvis for example — also in the separation of 
cartilages from the ribs, and the shaft bones softened and ruined by 
caries, ulceration or death of bones. 

N'ame op the Disease. — Big-head and big-jaw are terms suffi- 
ciently explicit in ordinary conversation; but in view of scientific 
inquiry it is necessary to employ terms indicative of the pathology 
of the disease. We cannot expect, however, to select any one 
name that shall apply to all the pathological conditions, duriiig the 
rise, progress and termination of this peculiar malady ; the condition 
of the bones, are : a state of enlargement, softening, and degenera- 
tion of the same. The disease is known to veterinary surgeons as 
osteo-po7'osis. 

Cause of the Disease.— I have already informed the reader 
that the disease may have an heredicary origin ; otherwise, I can- 
not account for its universal prevalence, in certain localities, under 
the ordinary modes of feeding and general management. I grant 
4 



50 TREATMENT OF DISEASES \ 

that, at first, the disease might have had an accidental or sjfontane- 
ous origin, and finally become permanent and transmissible ; for 
example, glanders and farcy afford illustrations of a spontaneous 
disease becoming contagious and transmissible. There must have 
been a time when neither of the two latter diseases existed ; hence, 
when the first subject became glandered he could not have taken it 
by infection or by contagion, but it must have had a spontaneous 
origin, and finally, became permanent. 

I do not pretend to urge that the active disease itself is transmis- 
sible, yet, in certain cases, a predisposition is transferred to the 
progeny. This may be called the predisposing cause ; the ordinary 
exciting causes are those which disturb and derange the digestive 
function. The digestive or nutritive function is deranged, both by 
excessive and defective functional labors, or by the animal existing 
on food that does not contain the necessary amount of nitrogenous 
or muscle-making matter. This is the case when Indian corn is 
used as food for a great length of time; it is hard to digest, is defi- 
cient in nitrogen, and almost always over-distends the stomach ; for, 
when submitted to the action of heat and the gastric fluids, it in- 
creases in bulk to about six times its original capacity. I liave no- 
ticed that where much whole corn is fed, as in Ohio and Indiana, the 
disease is most prevalent. 

Associated with the predisposing and exciting causes, are others : 
for example, hard usage, sore abuse, and bad stable management. 

This disease is rarely ever heard of in England, and this may 
be owino: to the fact that the food there furnished to horses is 
rich in phosphates and nitrogen, while corn contains more of 
starchy matter ; which, instead of furnishing material for the prepa- 
ration of muscular or animal matter, merely furnishes that which is 
consumed in the process of respiration. 

Trea-tment op the Disease. — The ordinary treatment, as prac- 
ticed by some persons, is to bore into the jaw-bone and inject the 
same with some corrosive poison; others expose the jaw-bone, and 
saw out a section of the same ; some persons blister, or apply 
preparations of iodine. Such treatment, I think, only tends to create 
unnecessary irritation and pain, and cannot possibly be of any ben- 
efit, for I contend that the disease is not local, but constitutional ; 
and the reader will, probably, after perusing this article, come to the 
same conclusion. 

The disease has extensive ramifications in various parts of the 
bony fabric, and therefore the local treatment must fail in curing the 
malady. Cases may arise w^hich require surgical operations, and if 
so, I have no objections to offer. 

I have often been told that horses, after having all sorts of bar- 
barities practiced on them, have recovered ; this, so far as the treat- 
ment is concerned, is in accordance with the spirit of the old error. 
*' He got well after taking my medicine ; therefore, in consequence 
of taking it." This is assuming a falsehood as a fact, and then giving 
fanciful reasons for it. 

In view both of prevention and cure of this organic disease ot 
the bones and their articulations, more is to be accomplished by 
regimen than by medicine. The animal should alwa\ s be provided 
with wholesome diet, and whenever green vegetables can be ob- 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 61 

tained, they should be fed liberally, or, what is much better, provided 
the season permits, let the animal roam in a pasture. 

Whenever I have a case of this kind under treatment, I furnish 
apples, beets, carrots, cabbages, or any other kind of vegetable that 
I can procure, and I find that such articles are usually devoured 
with a good relish. The object in feeding green food is to combat 
the scorbutic diatheses which usually exists. 

The patient should also be allowed from five to seven quarts of 
oats per day. 

When a horse with enlargement of the lower or upper jaw is 
suddenly attacked with acute lameness, he should be placed in a 
wide stall, and the parts where the lameness appears to be located, 
as well as the jaws, should be diligently rubbed, twice daily, with a 
portion of the following : 

Spirits of Camphor 6 ounces. 

Cod Liver Oil 4 " 

Oil of Cedar 2 « 

Diluted Acetic Acid 1 pint 

Mix. 
Then procure the following : 

Chlorate of Potass 2 ounces. 

Powdered Gimjer 4 " 

« Gentian 3 « 

« Podophyllum 2 " 

« Poplar Bark 6 *' 

Mix. 
- Dose : one ounce night and morning, to be incorporated with the 
food. 

This treatment usually palliates the lameness. Should it not do 
so, the owner must be patient and give nature time to restore the 
animal to comparative usefulness. 



TETANUS. 

Preliminary. — Two cases of Tetanus having lately occurred in 
my practice in the city of St. Louis, and both terminating favorably, 
I have thought that I could not do a better service to the readers of 
this work than to give them the facts. The treatment was so simple 
that any one might undertake the same feat, and I think that such 
treatment is more likely to be successful than the old-fashioned 
method. So far as my experience goes, I am satisfied that we are 
apt to do too much (over-medicate) in this, as well as in other 
diseases; and it often happens that the recuperative powers of na- 
ture have to contend, not only with the original malady, but also 
with one of a medicinal character, created by over-dosing ; and per- 
haps this is the reason that has led some veterinary writers to con- 
tend that " tetanic affections, arising in consequence of a punctured 
woundy are almost always sure to prove fataV* 

Nature of Tetanus. — Tetanus must not be confounded with 
trismus^ or locked jaw, yet the former may run into the latter, and 



53 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

does really belong to the same class and order. Tetanus is charac- 
terized, however, by the same rigidity of various muscles of the 
body, yet at the same time the jaws are not locked, the animal has 
not lost, entirely, the power of swallowing, can drink and eat a little 
and take medicine ; whereas, in complete locked jaw, the spasm ex- 
tends to the muscles of the pharynx^ rendering it impossible, while 
the spasm lasts, for the patient to swallow. 

Tetanus is supposed to depend on irritation, directly or indirectly, 
of the excito-motor system (true spinal cord.) If this be true, and I 
have no reason to doubt it, then all surgical operations, in view of 
removing the cause, are not only useless, but injurious, for the mal- 
ady has migrated beyond the reach of the surgeon's knife. I now 
introduce a brief report of the " cases." 

Case 1. March 1, 1862, I was requested to visit a bay gelding, 
aged eight years, the property of Captain Silva. The messenger 
informed me that the animal was " all stiffened up." On arrival I 
noticed the following spmptoms : On applying my hand over the 
region of the neck, the muscles felt hard and rigid ; the eyes had a 
sort of squinting appearance; the nose protruded ; the ears were 
erect and stationary ; the nostrils were expanded to their utmost 
capacity; the head, neck and trunk appeared quite rigid, so that it 
was impossible to coax or compel the animal to turn "short round," 
— in other w^ords, describe a circle ; the abdomen appeared " tucked 
up," in consequence of a rigid condition of its walls ; the hind limbs 
were straddling, and the fore ones occupied a forward position, an- 
terior to the axis of the shoulder-blade ; the bowels were constipated ; 
the pulse wiry, and the respirations accelerated and laborious. 
These symptoms constitute the key-note of the malady. I might, if 
I felt disposed, entertain the reader with an elaborate article on the 
regular veterinary craftsman's theory of the progressive symptoms ; 
but the intelligent reader will infer that as the disease progresses, 
the symptoms multiply and vary, therefore it is not good policy for 
me to introduce secondary symptoms, for they only tend to obscure 
the real nature of the disease. 

Treatment. — I rubbed the neck and back with a portion of the 
following; 

Cod Liver Oil 1 pint. 

Oil of Cedar .4 ounces. 

Sulphuric Ether 3 " 

The parts were rubbed once daily for a period of ten days. Dur- 
ing this time the animal got four drachms, night and morning, of 
the Fluid Extract of Indian Hemp {Cannabis IncUcus). The horse 
was located on the Bellefontaiu road, ten miles from the city, conse- 
quently I did not see him as often as I wished; but a faithful servant 
had charge of the horse, and I think he paid proper attention to my 
directions. 

At the end of three weeks all symptoms of Tetanus had entirely 
disappeared. The disease was occasioned by a punctured wound in 
the near fore foot. 

June 6, 1862. Capt. S, this day brought my patient to the city 
for treatment for atro^yliy of the natscles of the shoulder (commonly 
known as sioeeney.) The muscles of the shoulder-blade, known as 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 53 

the Antea and Postea Spinatus, are completely wasted away, so that 
the spine of the shoalder-blade and the bead of the humerus are un- 
natm-ally prominent, on the 7iear side. The animal is still under 
treatment, and appears to be doing well. 

Case 2. Mr. Wells, residing on Madison street, in this city, 
requested me, May 25, to visit a horse, tlie subject of Tetanus. I 
was informed that the aaimal had accidentally " picked up a nail ;" 
the nail had been withdrawn, and the part was dressed by a black- 
smith. On making an examination of the case, the symptoms were 
about the same as those observed in case No. 1. I treated the pa- 
tient on the same general principles, — administered Indian Hemp^ 
and lubricated the surface of the body with the same kind of lini- 
ment. In the course of fourteen days the aniiiftal had so far recov- 
ered that I left him to the care of the proprietor. 



TYPHOID PNEUMONIA. 

The followinix will illustrate the nature of the disease and mode 
of treatment : 

Recorded Symptoms of the Disease. — On the 4th of March my 
attention was called to three horses brought here by Mr. C, of and 
from Indiana. As their symptoms were precisely similar, I shall only 
describe those of one — a fine stallion aged eight years : he stood 
with his head pendulous, his fore limbs wide apart, and from the 
period of his arrival, three days, had not made any attempt to lie 
down. His respirations were much quickened; expiration, accom- 
panied by a sort of subdued grunt, indicative of pain, and showing 
that the lining membrane of the cavity of the chest was involved in 
the disease. The pulse was quick, yet feeble, showing that the ani- 
mal was somewhat prostrated, and had actually been sick for many 
days, although the owner thought difterently. The visible surfaces 
of the mouth presented a very peculiar appearance, although nOt 
unusual in a disease of this character. They were of a light ma- 
hogany color, and the lining membrane of the nostrils was of a 
light leaden hue. Auscultation and percussion practiced over the 
thoracic region, revealed tubular respiration ; also, that the chest 
was occupied by a considerable quantity of water ; the breath had 
a bad odor, and the patient had no relish for food, and most of the 
time he was in a state of stupor. These were the most noticeable 
symptoms at the period of my first visit. On questioning the owner, 
he admitted that all three of the horses appeared a little dull, were 
weak — easily fatigued — and through very little exertion would sweat, 
and their appetite was not good. 

This is the case with most typhoid affections : they begin without 
any warning other than slight dullness, weakness, and some disturb- 
ance of the digestive organs, and it is only when typhoid pneumonia 
becomes seated on the lungs, as shown by difficult respiration and 
other physical signs, that the owner ia aware of the horse being 
really sick. 

The stud alluded to, was treated on the stimulating, antiseptic, 
aiid alterative plan, during a period of sixteen days, and was rapidly 



54 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

convalescing, but the owner grew impatient, and put him on board 
the boat, when in the course of twenty- four hours he died. 

The other two animals did not survive their arrival in this city 
over twenty -four hours ; notwithstanding the most rational treatment 
they died of a complication of thoracic and abdominal disease. 
During the progress of the malady, tliey had a discharge of viscous 
matter, which adhered in thick incrustations around the margins of 
the nostrils, and they suffered excruciating torment from sharp ab- 
dominal pains, and their dung was liquid and bloody ; shortly before 
death, their tongues acquired a brown color, and their gums and 
teeth were covered with a dirty slime ; parts of the body were be- 
dewed with cold, clammy sweats ; the evacuations became very fetid, 
and all the other sypiptoms greatly aggravated ; soon they staggered 
and fell, never to rise again. 

It is probable that this disease assumed the enzootic type ; it was 
for a short time very fatal, especially when treated on the anti-phlo- 
gistic plan ; in fact, so far as my knowledge goes, every horse so 
treated, died. 

The only chance of bringing this malady to a favorable termina- 
tion was to commence the treatment early, and then by the use of 
sanitive stimulants and tonics sustain the vital powers, and thus 
keep the patient alive while the disease ran its course. 

The agents used in the above case were, ginger, poplar bark, 
chlorate of potass, and iodide of potass. 



DROPSY OF THE BRAIN. 

Operation on a Horse for Dropsy op the Brain. — The sub- 
ject of the above named disease was a bay gelding, aged seven years. 
The animal had been out of health for a few days. When my atten- 
tion was called to him, I found him down on the right side ; from 
appearances I should judge that he had struggled considerably, but 
his struggles must have been of an unconscious and involuntary 
character, as the pupil of the eye w^as amaurotic, and he was com- 
pletely insensible to the prick of a pin. Occasionally the patient 
would go into convulsions, kick with his limbs, and dash his head 
about, not knowing what he did. It was noticed that he often jerked 
his head backwards, as horses will do when the subjects of dropsy 
of the brain. 

Having satisfied myself that this was a case of dropsy of the 
brain — hydrocephalus — and there being but very little if any chance 
of ever saving the subject, I obtained the owner's consent to trepan 
or trephine my patient, and then draw off the fluid. 

The operation was performed as follows : having selected a point 
at about the centre of the parietal bones, I made a crucial — cross- 
shaped — incision, through the integuments, and dissected them for 
a small circumference from the bone ; I than introduced the trephine 
a little on one side of the suture, or ridge, and after sawing com- 
pletely through the bone, removed a piece of the circumference of 
half a dime. I now sent a curved trocar and canula, between the 
lobes of the brain, down into the lateral ventricles, and after with- 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 55 

drawing the trocar — cutting instrument — about two-thirds of a 
tumbler full of water — serum — ran through the canula. Shortly 
after this the wound in the integuments was closed ; not completely, 
however, for small quantities of serum still escaped, and wore 
Bujffered to do so. 

Up to the time of performing this operation — that is, since my 
first visit — the patient was sightless, and insensible in every part of 
his body to the prick of a pin, but so soon as the fluid was removed 
from the interior of the brain, his sight and sensibility returned, and 
continued for forty-eight hours, when the horse gradually relapsed 
into a comatose or insensible condition ; and now, at the end of five 
days after the operation on his brain, it was decided that he could 
not recover, hence the owner ordered him to be killed. 

Remarks on the above Case. — This horse was not a very good 
subject on which to test the merits of this formidable operation ; he 
had been over-fed, and was rather plethoric ; then again, the weather 
was excessively sultry, and he had very bad quarters, and very little 
attention. I have, however, some hopes that this operation may 
ultimately prove successful, when the right subject is selected, and 
when the patient has proper care and attention ; and should it prove 
successful, some valuable lives might be saved. 

If this operation shall prove successful on the horse, why may it 
not, when performed on man, for hydrocephalus ? 



SPLENIC APOPLEXY. 

During my residence in Ohio I had occasion to visit a number of 
animals, the subjects of Splenic Apoplexy. I found that most of 
them had been over-fed, and were in a state of plethora, hence to 
prevent the malady, the farmer must dip a lighter hand into the meal 
bag. 

My impression is that apoplexy, wherever it locates, in the bodies 
of either horses or cattle, is very apt to prove fatal ; there may be 
occasional recoveries, but these are exceptions, and not the rule. 

The authorities contend that in all cases of animals sti'icken with 
this malady, the premonitory symptoms are of short duration ; they 
may be observed at night to appearance in the enjoyment of full 
health, on the morrow they may be dead. 

Symptoms of Splenic Apoplexy. — When an opportunity is af- 
forded of observing the development of the earliest symptoms, 
characteristic of this malady, they will be found to be somewhat of 
the following nature : appetite somewhat impaired ; countenance of 
an anxious appearance ; visible mucous surfaces, a mixture of dull 
red and yellow ; pulse somewhat full, and may range as high as sev- 
enty; respirations quickened; tenderness along the course of the 
spine. The patient will occasionally stumble and fall ; he grinds his 
teeth, and an augmented secretion of saliva is seen to dribble from 
the mouth. 

The bowels are usually active, and the excrement is sufficiently 
soft, yet of a dark color ; when too soft, the patient is afflicted with 



56 TEEATMEXT OF DISEASES 

colicky pains, gets down in torment, and often goes into convulsions, 
and soon dies. 

The urine has a very peculiar appearance : it varies from pink to 
a dark brown color. 

The diagnostic symptom of splenic apoplexy, with enlargement of 
the same, is a notable enlargement on the left side of the abdomen, 
well up towards the ribs; on standing right behind the animal, ajid 
casting one's eye carefully along the sides of the abdominal walls, 
a perceptible eminence will be seen, which cannot be mistaken. 
The region of the spleen is between the stomach and false ribs, on 
the left side. 

When the spleen is not enlarged, but merely congested^ then we 
resort to percussion in order to detect the same. 

The cause of death in splenic apoplexy is an abdominal accumu- 
lation and effusion of blood, in the interior of the spleen, with rup- 
ture of its constituent texture ; and it is safe to infer that the disease 
is primarily the result of a deranged or diseased condition of the assira- 
ilator}^ system, occasioned by errors in diet. The curative treatment 
of splenic apoplexy is very unsatisfactory ; but in case of enlarge- 
ment of the spleen, we may often succeed in aiding nature to cure 
the malady, by administering iodide of potass and vegetable tonics. 



e:mbryotomy. 

The operation of embryotomy, as practiced by veterinarians, sig- 
nifies dismemberment — disembowelment, &c., of the foetal colt — 
located within the uterus and vagina. I presume that very few 
persons, unless they understand the anatomy of the parts, would 
like to undertake this formidable operation ; yet it has often been 
the means of saving the lives of very many valuable breeding mares ; 
hence I propose, in a brief manner, to give the readers of this work 
some idea of the modus operandi. 

The instrument used in the practice of embryotomy, is a crooked 
beak-pointed knife, which can be so concealed in the hand as not to 
be capable of doing any injury. 

Mode of Operation. — Having introduced the knife within the 
uterine cavity, I run my hand along the foetal limb to the top of the 
shoulder, if possible, and there turn the knife and send its beak 
point through the integument, and slit the same to the region of the 
knee ; a slip-noose is affixed to the fetlock, and while an assistant is 
making steady traction on the same, I loosen the integument from 
the limb, then by a little dexterity in the use of the knife at the top 
of the shoulder, and elsewhere, the whole leg is drawn away. After 
amputating the shoulder, I make an incision through the cartilages 
of the ribs, this exposes the whole of the thoracic viscera, which I 
remove. If the bulk of the colt appears to be sufficiently removed 
to insure its extraction, I affix a noose to the remaining fore leg and 
by traction remove the carcass; the only difficulty in the way of a 
prompt extraction occurs, ofttimes, in consequence of the foetal head 
being bent round on the opposite side of the chest ; but under ordi- 



PECULIAR TO HOKSES. 67 

nary circumstances the colt can be extracted without proceeding to 
disembowel it or decapitate it. If, however, either of the latter 
operations will facilitate the birth, I should certainly perform one or 

the other, or both. . , . x . ^v 

Havintr extracted the whole of the foetus, I next remove the 
placentalmd membranes, and then drench the mare with fluid extract 
of ^in^er half an ounce; tincture of matico, one ounce; warm 
water, <)ne quart; this will improve the condition of the prostrate 
animal, and insure contraction of the uterus. ., • ... 

The uterine expulsive power, so favorable to the liberation ot the 
colt, if dormant, can readily be aroused by administering a stimu- 
lating drench. 



VETERINARY MIDWIFERY. 

BKEKCH PRESENTATION. 

I was requested, some time ago, to visit a valuable mare, she 
havino- been in labor some five or six hours without effecting deliv- 
ery. t)n arrival I was informed that every effort had been made to 
remove the foetus, that six men having a rope attachecfto the same, 
had been pulling " might and main" without success ; that finally a 
pair of inules wis harnessed to the legs of the unborn ! 

In spite of this rough and unwarrantable treatment the mare 
still survived, and had"^ strong uterine pains. On examination I 
found that it was a case of breech presentation — hind feet present- 
ing ; the long diameter of the foetal pelvis opposed to the short 
diameter of that of the mother. I merely pushed the foetus back- 
ward and changed the position of the same, brought the long diam- 
eter of the pelvis of the-'one, in apposition with that of the other ; 
and in the course of fivQ,minutes, with the assistance of one man, 
delivered the mare of a dead colt. 

Remarks.— Such cases, I am informed, are constantly occurring, 
and very often the life of a valuable mare is thus sacrificed at the 
shrine of ifmorance ; this is not a matter that^ would warrant any 
member oi'^our profession in scolding about ; it is a subject which 
demands our serious attention, and all our efiorts as philanthropists 
and christian men, should be exercised for the purpose of putting a 
stop to *he perpetration of similar barbarities. The only remedy, as 
I understand the subject, is the establishment of Veterinary Col- 
leo-es and Schools throughout the length and breadth of these United 
Stiites ; and I entreat the readers of this work, to use their means 
and influence for the purpose of educating men for the responsible 
duties of veterinary surgeons. 

It may be gratifying to our readers to know how the above case 
terminated, hence I append the following extract from my " case 

book." ^ ^ ^ , 

After delivery, the mare appeared perfectly prostrated ; pulse, at 
the angle of the jaw, almost indistinct ; extremities cold ; tips of 
the cars and lips icy cold ; visible surfaces pale ; respiration labori- 
ous, and the prognosis was unfavorable. 



58 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

Treatment. — Administered diffusible stimulants, and drenched 
the patient with two quarts of hot gruel seasoned with stimulating 
condiments; in the course of two hours after delivery, the mare got, 
up and commenced grazing apparently with good relish; she gradu- 
ally improved and finally recovered. 



CANKER IN THE FEET OF HORSES. 

Canker is a disease of the tissues of the foot, affecting the sensi- 
tive parts of the frog and sensitive sole, and consists in a production 
of a morbid growth known as fungus. 

In former years it was very prevalent in the large livery stables 
of the city of London; there it was suj^jDosed to rage as an epizootic 
affection, and often appeared in a very malignant form. At later 
periods, in consequence of an improved system of stable manage- 
ment, and the presence of educated veterinary surgeons, the disease 
is less prevalent, and is robbed of its greatest terrors. 

It is probable that this disease, like many others, "lurks in breed," 
for it has been observed that a great proportion of the subjects 
afflicted with this malady are of coarse breed or organization, 
having much coarse hair on their limbs, and the same animals have 
large and flat feet. Canker usually attacks the hind feet; these 
parts being most remote from the central organs of circulation, are 
very apt to become the seat of this affection whenever circumstances 
are favorable to its production. The circumstances favorable for the 
production of canker are predisposition. 

Taking a common sense view of this affection, it appears to resem- 
ble that very formidable disease known, in human medicine, as cancer^ 
for if allowed to progress, the disease acquires a deep seated origin, 
and spreads from frog to sole, and around the toe and quarters, and 
like cancer it often flourishes with a peculfkr luxuriance ; yet, after 
all, common canker, as it occurs in horses, is not identical with hu- 
man cancer, for, on microscopical examination we fail to find the 
true scirrhus, or cancerous change of the morbid tissues. 

The treatment of canker is as follows: Bathe the parts freely with 
pyroligneous acid, and then cover the cankerous surfaces with pow- 
dered blood-root. The dressing must be renewed often, and the 
parts should be completely covered with the blood-root as often as it 
is removed by abrasion or otherwise. 

The constitutional treatment is as follows: Give the horse, daily, 
twenty grains of iodide of potass, and forty grains of powdered 
blood-root, either in the form of drench, or otherwise. Should the 
animal not recover under this form of treatment, the case may be 
considered as incurable. 



UMBILICAL HERNIA. 

Umbilical Hernia, commonly known as rupture^ often occurs in 
colts, and in fact is often congenital — exists at birth. The sac, or 
pendulous bag, is located in the region known as the " navel," or 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 59 

umbilical region; the sac sometimes acquires magnitude so as to 
j)resent an " eye sore," or unsightly appearance, which very fre- 
quently impairs the value and usefulness of the animal. 

In former days a very barbarous operation was occasionally per- 
formed for the removal of the enlargement, which was performed 
in the following manner: the animal, after being cast, was placed on 
his back ; in this position the bowel generally receded into the abdom- 
inal cavity, then three or four skewers were inserted through the 
walls of the loose skin, and then ligatures were applied. This inter- 
rupted the circulation of blood through the parts, and the superfluous 
skin sloughed off, at the same time the internal parts cf the sac 
united, and in this way the " eye sore" was sometimes got rid of; 
but unfortunately death often ensued, either as the result of perito- 
nitis, or of locked jaw. 

The safest mode of treatment now adopted, is that of continuous 
pressure : 

" It consists of a common girth, properly shaped to the body, 
having? a stiff piece of oval-shaped leather introduced inferiorly, to 
come in contact with the rupture. This should be buckled on mod- 
erately tight, and retained in its situation as follows : place a common 
collar on the animal's neck, to which three straps are attached, one 
on each side and the other at the brisket. Two pieces of webbing 
should be attached to the main girth with buckles at the opposite 
end, to meet the side straps, and a piece of leather, instead of web- 
bing, to meet the brisket one. This latter should be forked or split, 
part of the way, so as to admit of its being attached to the oval 
piece of leather covering the rupture. These are then to be buckled 
to the straps coming from the collar, by which means the girth is 
held in its proper position. Over the whole a common surcingle may 
be placed, just behind the elbows, (the usual girthing place,) in order 
to keep the whole snug and close to the body. 

" The animal, thus harnessed, should be turned into a loose box and 
fed well, the object being to force the system as much as possible. 
The best time for applying the truss is when the animal is taken from 
the mare. In a general way, about three months' wear of the truss 
will be found sufficient to effect a cure. The modus operandi appears 
to be this : pressure keeps the bowels within the abdomen, thereby 
giving the aperture an opportunity of closing, which in many cases 
it will do most completely. But even should it not, you may depend 
upon its not getting larger. The bowel, from the general develop- 
ment going on in the system, hastened by the good keep, will soon 
do so,"i. e., get larger,* and consequently will not dip into the same 
opening, even shoutd it remain. Partial or complete adhesion of the 
sides of the sac will take place, followed by an entire removal of the 
unsightly pendulous bag, with its contents, which constituted the 
disease." 



LYMPHATITIS. 

Preliminary. — Lymphatitis is a disease known to occur among 
horses of the lymphatic temperament, affecting the superficial lym- 
phatics of the hind extremities ; causing swelling, heat and tender- 



60 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

ness of the parts. The disease is known to occur among horses of 
" coarse breed," and the more advanced in age such an animal may 
be, the more subject is he to this affection ; provided, however, he 
be of the lymphatic or lazy temperament. 

Various names have been applied to this affection; for example,, 
in Scotland it is known as loeed^ thick-leg, water-farcy, sbot-o'grease, 
&c., &c., — names which throw not the least light on the nature of the 
affection. 

Cause of the Malady. — The indirect cause is predisposition, 
which lurks in breed ; the ordinary exciting cause or causes are, 
errors in diet, over- work and mismanagement when at work (which 
signifies exposure to storms, &c., and ill usage,) hard pulls and poor 
fodder. 

Case of Lymphatitis. — On visiting the patient, I was informed 
that the disease commenced with a paroxysm — or fit — of shivering, 
very suddenly. 1 found the animal standing on three legs ; the near 
hind one — the seat of disease — was flexed and held about twelve 
inches from the floor. The affected limb was hot, tender and swol- 
len, and the glands, or lymphatics of the groin, were " corded," or 
enlarged. On the inner surface of the thigh a number of corded 
lymphatics, or minute elevations, under the true skin, could be dis- 
tinctly felt, and on exploring and gently squeezing the same, the 
patient would suddenly catch up the limb from sheer pain. The 
pulse was very wiry, and so quick that it was impossible to count 
the beats. 

This case was treated by means of diuretics and tonics, adminis- 
tered internally, and the swollen limb was bathed as often with an 
infusion oi i^lantago major — common plantain. In the course of 
six days the animal had entirely recovered. 



RINGBONE— ITS NATURE, CAUSE AND TREATMENT. 

Nature of Ringbone. — The term ringbone, signifies a bony en- 
largement, in the region of the coronet. The ring is formed of 
osseous incrustations or deposits on the pastern, and sometimes the 
lateral cartilages are changed into bone ; at other times the disease 
commences on the articulatory surfaces ; in such case the horse may 
commence to go lame some time before any enlargement makes its 
appearance ; the disease is then termed inter -articular y soon, how- 
ever, the disease spreads, and the usual change in the form of the 
parts is very perceptible, and the action of one or more joints be- 
neath the cannon bone is forever destroyed. This condition is known 
to medical men as anchylisos, (loss of motion,) while that form of 
ringbone, occurring on the surface of the bones, is called exostosis, 
(extra growth.) Various osseous enlargements or deposits are found 
on the coronet and pastern bones, varying in shape, size, &c., and 
some persons have denominated them " cling-fasts ;" and there is no 
doubt but they do "cling fast." 

As regards the spreading of the disease and its magiiitude, that 
depends on the idlosyncracies of the animal ; it has been noticed thati 



PECULIAR TO nOESES. CI 

animals of the "rickety" or "raclietic" diathesis are more prone to 
an aggravated form of the malady than others not so constituted ; 
and in the former case the bones of the whole body are found to bo 
deficient in aiiimal matter, and rich in eartlvj matter, and other bones 
of the body are found to be incrusted with earthy deposits, so that, 
in some cases, the affection may be of a constitutional character. 

Cause op Ringbon:^. — Ringbone often owes its origin to heredi- 
tary influences, transmitted, eitlier directly or indlreGtly ; it is not 
often, however, that the malady appears as the direct result of sex- 
ual intercourse between animals, one or both of which may be 
afiected ; yet there are cases on record going to show, that the 
disease has often been observed to occur in colts that have not even 
been trained, nor submitted to the ordinary exciting causes which 
are operative in inaugurating the disease in the predisposed subject. 
During my professional career, in this country, many cases of Ring- 
bone, occurring during colthood, have attracted my attention ; hence 
I infer that the malady can be directly transmitted. 

Mr. Percival relates that his attention to the hereditary origin oi 
ringbone was first aroused from a remark made by an extensive 
dealer in horses, in reply to a question put to him, how it happened 
that but few ringbones were met with, compared to the number that 
attracted notice in times past. The reply was : *' Because no breedei 
of horses now-a-days, will send a mare to a horse having ringbone." 
A very good example for American breeders to follow, for the mal- 
ady is very prevalent in this country. 

Horses predisposed to ringbone are bony-legged animals, with 
short and upright pasterns. The direct cause of ringbone in such 
animals is ligamentary sj^rains, induced by over-work,"&c. 

Treatment op Ringbone. — The whole theory of the treatment 
may be contained in a nutshell. Keep the animal at rest and apply 
counter irritants of iodine or cantharides. Should, however, the 
lameness be very considerable and the animal appear to suffer much 
pain, then I should rub the affected parts with equal parts of spirits 
of camphor and sulphuric aether. After the treatment has ceased, 
the owner of the animal must exercise patience, for it will require 
some time for nature to perfect the cure. 



TREATMENT OF GALLED BACK. 

As soon as an abrasion is discovered on the back of a horse, the 
animal should be excused from duty for a few days ; the abraded 
parts should be dressed twice daily with a portion of tincture of 
aloes and myrrh. This simple treatment will soon heal the parts. 

Should there be no abrasion, but a simple swelling, attended with 
heat, pain and tenderness, the parts should be frequentl}^ sponged 
with cold water. Occasionally the sl^in undergoes the process of 
hardening, (induration.) This is a condition of the parts known to 
the farriers of old as " sitfast," and the treatment is as follows : pro- 
cure one ounce of iodine ointment, and smear the indurated spot 
with a portion of the same, twice daily. 



62 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

■ Somo cases of galled back, and shoulders, are due to negligeiico 
and abuse, yet many animals, owing to a peculiarity of constitution, 
will *' chafe," as the saying is, in those parts which come in contact 
with the collar and saddle, and neither human foresight nor mechan- 
ical means can prevent the same. 



OVER-DISTENSION OF THE STOMACH. 

Oct. 19th, 1862. This evening a bay gelding aged 7 years, the 
property of Mr. Burgess, of North Chicago, was brought to Mr. 
Patrick's stable under the following circumstances : 

I was informed by the owner that the animal had in the early part 
of the morning broken loose from his stall, and immediately com- 
menced a desperate attack on a bag of oats, which happened to be 
within reach ; the horse is known as a ravenous feeder, and the pro- 
bability is, that he did not spare the oats, but took a pretty large 
dose, so as to over-distend his stomach. The services of the animal 
being required a few hours afterwards, he was hitched up ; he soon, 
however, showed symptoms of distress, attempted to lay down, and 
and finally got into a profuse perspiration. Shortly after this, my 
attention was called to him. 

I found the patient in great distress; his head pendulous; breath- 
ing much embarrassed ; pulse very rapid ; body bedewed wdth a 
chilly perspiration ; legs and ears cold; continual eructations of gas 
by the mouth, from the stomach; and at the same time efforts to 
vomit, which brought away nothing more than salival secretion, 
which, however, was quite profuse; the patient rolled and tumbled 
about considerably, and would occasionally stand up for a few sec- 
onds at a time. 

I Treatment. — It appeared that the indications, in view of relief, 
were to arouse the action of the stomach, and at the same time 
arrest fermentation. I was under the impression that the contents 
of the gorged stomach could only be got rid of in the ordinary way, 
viz., by digestion. I am aware that it is often customary to give 
drastic cathartics in view of getting rid of the contents of the stom- 
ach, yet I would not advise the reader to do this, for the horse may 
die before the medicine operates. 

The following drench was administered : 

Fluid Extract of Ginger 1 ounce. 

" " " Goldenseal 2 " 

Carbonate of Soda 2 drachms. 

Water 4 ounces. 

After the exhibition of the above, I threw into the rectum a couple 
of quarts of soap-suds, to which was added a handful of salt; in 
the course of about an hour the animal appeared somewhat relieved, 
and I repeated the dose^ also the enema. The patient very soon 
afterwards passed a large quantity of excrement, and so rapidly 
improved that I left him, and did not see him again until the next 
morning, when he appeared to have entirely recovered. With th« 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 63 

exception of a bran mash or two, the above comprises the whole of 
the treatment. 

Remarks. — It was Uicky for the horse as well as the parties con- 
cerned, that the animal did not get corn instead of oats y for the same 
quantity of corn would have surely caused death ; from the fact that 
when this article of fodder is submitted, within the stomach, to the 
action of heat and moisture, it increases in bulk in a ratio of about 
five to one, and the usual result is rupture of the stomach; still 
should any of our readers be called upon to treat a case of the lat- 
ter kind, there is no other plan of treatment, with which I am ac- 
quainted, that will be likely to succeed in saving the animal than the 
one above indicated. 

A cow is sometimes "gorged," and her paunch is, in consequence, 
distended to an enormous capacity, and very frequently an opera- 
tion has to be performed in order to remove the contents of the 
same ; yet such an operation as the one usually performed, 'w> attend- 
ed with much danger, and rather than run the risk of losing the 
animal, I should first try to arouse the action of the stomach, as in 
the case of a horse. 



SWEENEY, OR WASTING OF MUSCLES. 

Preliminary. — This affection is one which prevails very exten- 
sively among Western horses, and indeed has occasionally been pre- 
sent in all parts of the United States, yet very little of a reliable 
character has ever been written on the subject; hence, as a pro- 
fessed teacher of veterinary science, and not being willing to carry 
my knowledge to the grave, it becomes my pleasant duty to give the 
readers of this work the benefit of my experience, and in so doing 
I shall endeavor to be brief, practical, and also to deal in facts. 

Sweeney is a term used by husbandmen, siirnifying wasting of 
the muscles in the region of the shoulder-blade ; professional men 
recognize the affection as J[^ro/?Ay— wasting; 2^ gradual qy sudden 
diminution in the size of muscles of a region, or of the whole body. 
When the affection is confined to the shoulder, it is called local atro- 
phy ; and when there occurs a morbid and progressive diminution 
in the bulk of the muscles of the whole body, the disease is known 
as general atrophy, or Marasmus. 

^ Medical writers generally contend that Sweeney or atrophy is occa- 
sioned by faulty or defective nutrition, and is usually sympathetic. 
Ancient authorities say, that in atrophy, the fat only is wasted. 
This is a great mistake: for a coUapsion of the cellular, muscular 
and vascular systems, in a case of atrophy, is evidently apparent. 

Pathology of Sweeney. — I now propose to discuss the theory 
of the pathology of Sweeney. 

^ I have had several opportunities of examining horses that have 
died in consequence of disease or old age, who, during life, were 
the subjects of sweeney, and I always found the muscles of the shoul- 
der, or shoulders, pale looking or bloodless ; almost resembling the 
muscles of a calf that had been bled to death: the ordinary color 
should be a reddish-brown tint. The collapsiou was not only con- 



64 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

fined to the muscular fibres, but aifeeted the blood-vessels, which 
appeared to be constricted; and the cellular membrane had almost 
entirely disappeared, merely by condensation and contraction of the 
skin over the region of the parts; which contraction usually occurs 
in consequence of shrinking of muscles beneath. 

In conformity with the opinions of our veterinary authorities, I 
have hitherto in most cases considered sweeney as a symptomatic 
affection, from the fact that I have had to treat a number of cases 
similar to the following: 

A celebrated and valuable trotting horse, known as " Rocky," 
owned by a party in Cincinnati, became lame. The animal was 
treated for shrinking of the muscles of the shoulder blades, by 
setons, lotions, &c., and a long run at grass. The treatment ex- 
tended over one year. The animal was finally purchased by Messrs. 
Mathews and McGibboney of Chicago. On arrival of the animal I 
examined him and found that the sweeney was occasioned by con- 
traction of the hoofs. I recommended a different course of treat- 
ment. The feet received special attention; and now the owners 
inform me that they have been offered a large sum for him. 

In May, 1861, I was requested to see a gray gelding, aged eight 
years, which had recently been purchased as sound, &g. Shortly 
after purchase it was discovered that the animal went lame. It was 
noticed that the muscles known as anterior and posterior spinati (in 
the region of the shoulder blade), were wasted, and it was evident 
that the animal had been treated for sweeney from the f^act that the 
marks remained where setons had been introduced. 

On making an examination of the foot, on the affected side, I 
found enlargement of the lateral cartilages of the coffin bone; the 
lateral cartilages had undergone transformation, and had changed 
into bone. In the region of the foot, then, was the seat of lameness, 
and the poor brute had been tortured in the usual manner about the 
shoulder for the expectant cure of that which only constituted a 
symptom of organic disease of the coffin bone. 

The altered structure and enlargement in the vicinity of the foot 
had been entirely overlooked, and it is probable, as rny employer 
had only been in possession of the horse a short time, that the crea- 
ture must have been unsound at the time of purchase. 

The wasting of the muscles of the shoulders, is to be accounted 
for in these two cases as follows : 

It is a well known fact, that inaction of a muscle induces a de- 
crease in its size. The muscles of laboring men decrease in size 
whenever, from choice or necessity, the individual leads a sedentary 
life. A limb kept at rest for any great length of time, always un- 
dergoes more or less atrophy (wasting.) In these cases the foot 
diseases were of such a character as to cause the subjects much pain 
in progression ; in order to relieve the feet they spared their mus- 
cles, which want of free and fall action led to diminished nutrition 
and wasting — atrophy. Some of our readers must have noticed the 
fact of the shrinkage of the muscles of the haunch in case of disease 
or severe lameness of one of the hind feet. This shrinkage often 
occurs, as in the case of the shoulder, from want of natural action 
and full play of the muscles concerned. We have ample proof 
that the wastinsr is the result of want of action, in the fact, that 



PECTJLIAR TO HORSES. 65 

when the horse becomes the subject of a painful disease in the hind 
foot, he neither advances nor rotates the limb any more than he can 
possibly help — but holds the foot up. On examination, the atrophy 
or wasting is confined to the muscles which perform these two ac- 
tions ; and in case of lameness or pain in one of the fore-feet, the 
same faulty action is observable, and the same class of muscles 
(whose action is almost identical with that of the hind parts) are the 
ones affected. 

I deem it of great importance that husbandmen should fully un- 
derstand this subject, for it will enable them to perceive that — while 
inflating horses' shoulders with a quill, or practicing any other ab- 
surd treatment in the vicinity of the wasted or sweenied shoulder 

they are overlooking the real malady (in the foot), and at best are 
only treating symptoms. On careful examination, however, should 
it appear that the patient is free from any disorder of the foot or 
feet, and on the other hand it is clearly evident that myositis, or 
myalgia, of the muscles exist, then the treatment must be directed 
to the affected parts — the facts in either case can only be determined 
by a competent practitioner. 

In view of sustaining the proposition th^it Stoeenei/ is asymptomatic 
affection^ I might introduce a great number of cases that have come 
under my own observation ; but I do not wish to bore the reader, 
nor inflict a long article on him; therefore I submit the preceding 
cases as a sample of all the rest which I might offer. The malady 
may be of a different grade or character, but the primary disease, of 
which Sweeney is the result, originates often in foot lameness. 

I now propose to show that sweeney is not always a symptomatic 
affection. 

I have often noticed that when horses have been over-driven or 
over-worked, they become stiff and lame in those parts of the body 
most susceptible to the ordinary influences; for example, one horse 
may perform a long journey with a weighty man on his back, and the 
next day the animal shows symptoms of lameness in the lumbar 
region ; his back is arched ; the limbs are brought under the centre 
of the body, and every movement indicates that the animal suffers 
tormenting pains which are located in the muscles of the back; this 
is myositis, or inflammation of muscular fibre ; sometimes, however, 
the malady constitutes myalgia — muscular pain and spasm unaccom- 
panied by inflammatory action. 

Another horse may be put to a similar kind of work, and in a few 
hours afterwards he is found very stiff and lame; but the symptoms 
are not the same as those just recorded; the pathology is probably 
identical ; it is the same disease, only it has a different locality — it is 
myositis of the pectoral muscles, involving also the muscles of the 
shoulder blades. And the intelligent owner of the afflicted animal 
will notice that his fore extremities are unnaturally advanced ; the 
foreparts of the body are unnaturally hot and tender ; the fore-feet 
are feverish, and the hoofs are hotter than usual; the advanced posi- 
tion of the fore extremities and shoulders, gives a very marked hol- 
lo wness to the forepart of the chest, and many men, on seeing such 
a case, would declare that the animal was chest foundered, this being 
the name which is sometimes given to such a condition; but really it 
is owing to myalgia — muscular pain and stiffness. 
5 



66 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

It is "well known that all muscles are subject to inflammatory action 
and muscular pain from work disproportionate to their strength ; for 
example, let any man undertake to saw wood, practice with heavy 
dumb-bells, or ride on a horse — feats that he has never been accus- 
tomed to — and whether the labor be excessive or not, the individual 
w,i\\ shortly complain of more or less muscular pain, and if he be a 
weak man, the more excessive will be that pain. Now the muscles 
of the horse being just as susceptible to pain as those of the man, 
are just as easily operated on through the well known exciting 
causes. 

In the case of a horse, when the work has been very excessive and 
of a character to bring the muscles of the shoulders, their tendons 
and coverings, into a state of over- exertion, it will often be found 
that some of the muscular fibres in the region of the shoulder, are 
fractured, small blood-vessels are ruptured, and other pathological 
changes take place ; this is followed by inflammation — myositis. Sup- 
pose, therefore, a horse shows symptoms of myositis after excessive 
work, and in the course of a few days it is noticed that the muscles 
of his shoulders are wasting away, and they continue to waste, so 
that all persons who examine the animal pronounce him sweenied — 
we may then infer that the wasting (sweeney) is not symptomatic, 
but is the result of myositis, the principal treatment for which is, rest; 
afterwards diminish the work, and by proper diet and tonics, in- 
crease the power to do it. 



LARYNGITIS. 

Laryngitis signifies inflammation of the lining membrane of the 
larynx ; it is sometimes known as sore throat. Like other inflamma- 
tory afl*ections of the respiratory apparatus, it is accompanied by 
feverish symptoms — heat, pain, and difficult respiration. 

The inflammatory condition exists during a limited period, varying 
from two to five days ; then, generally, commences the suppurative 
stage, which is characterized by a discharge from both nostrils. 

Cause of Laryngitis. — As regards the special cause of this 
afl'ection very little is known ; it is supposed, however, to originate 
in a common cold, &c., yet I have known horses to become the sub- 
jects of it that have not been exposed to the ordinary influences 
which are said to produce the symptoms of cold ; hence we may 
infer that bad management, and the evils of domestication have 
something to do with it. 

The fact is, disease neither respects man nor horse; each must 
once in a while suffer and groan, swallow drugs, get well, or else 
" kick the bucket f and as regards the horse, the greater his value, 
the more likely is he to get sick, from the fact that he is sure to be 
petted, over-fed, and generally he is too well cared for. 

Symptoms. — The most observable symptoms are, protrusion of the 
head ; a sort of half suppressed cough ; slight swelling in the region 
of the throat; difficulty in swallowing; and if the ear be applied to 
this region, a grating sound is heard. 



PECULIAK TO HORSES. 67 

Treatment. — The animal should be fed on sloppy bran mashes 
three times daily, to which add one drachm of powdered nitre, and 
twice daily lubricate the region of the throat with some stimulating 
liniment. Let the patient breathe a pure atmosphere, and he will 
soon get well. 



PLEURISY. 

This is one of the most painful among equine affections. 

Persons who have suffered the pains attending acute pleurisy, 
describe them as lancinating / this accounts for the deplorable con- 
dition of a horse when suddenly attacked with this terrible affliction. 

Symptoms. — The excruciating torment attending the early devel- 
opments of the malady, causes the animal to get down and tumble 
about, as if he were the subject of colic ; but soon it will be observed 
that the case is not one of colic, for as soon as the most painful 
features of the malady have subsided, the animal does not recline 
on the floor, but stands, with his fore legs wide apart, in view of 
preventing friction between the lungs and the interior lining mem- 
brane of the cavity of the chest ; the pain is continuous, which is 
proof positive that the animal is not the subject of colic. ^. 

If pressure be made with the finger on the spaces between the, 
ribs and the chest, it elicits symptoms of great pain ; and should the ^''-i 
ear be placed against the walls of the chest, a grating sotmd will be 
heard, and the respiratory murmur is not natural. This malady is 
apt to terminate in dropsy of the chest. In all cases of acute pleu- 
risy the pulse is strong and wiry. 

Treatment. — Supposing the disease to be in its early stage, as 
shown by such symptoms as above, give the patient twenty-five 
drops of tincture of aconite, mixed in about two ounces of water, 
and ten drops more every hour, un^iil the pulse becomes softer ; then 
omit the aconite, and give one drachm of powdered nitre, twenty -five 
drops of powdered blood-root, in four ounces of water ; drench the 
animal very carefully, so as not to put him to unnecessary pain. It 
is possible that the animal may take this medicine if placed in a 
V bucket containing a few quarts of water. This latter medicine may 
* be repeated every four hours, until four doses have been taken ; in 
the meantime, a thin paste of mustard and vinegar should be care- 
fully rubbed on the sides of the chest and under the breast ; the 
paste must be quite thin, or it cannot be absorbed, hence will be 
useless. Should the weather be chilly, clothe the lower part of the 
limbs with flannel. 

The intelligent-owner will attend to the wants of the animal, ana 
see that he is located in a part of the stable where he will be free 
from annoyance. 

It will be easy to ascertain whether or no the case is curable ; for 
if, during the treatment, the patient continues to grow worse, hydro- 
thorax, or dropsy of the chest, is sure to set in ; this latter disease 
requires the services of a veterinary surgeon. 



Equal parts. 



68 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 



DISEASE OF THE SKIN — MANGE — LOUSINESS — 
REMEDY FOR THE SAME. 

A great many of the horses lately disposed of by the Government, 
as " condemned," *' contraband," &c., were, and still are, subjects 
of various forms of skin disease — mange, lousiness, &c., and it is 
probable that when such animals are introduced into decent " horse 
society," they will be the means of spreading the itch, mange, lousi- 
ness, &c. ; hence, I propose to give the readers of this work some 
advice on the subject. 

In the first place, almost all the skin diseases prevalent among 
army horses owe their origin to neglect and filth. Hence cleanliness 
— brush and curry-comb — are the best means of prevention, and are 
also valuable as curative agents. 

The best local application for diseases of the above character, is 
as follows : 

Linseed Oil, 
Tincture of Lobelia, 
Pyroligneous Acid, 
Spirits of Turpentine, 
Mix.* 

Apply, by means of a sponge, a portion of the above mixture to 
all parts of the body ; and the patient should have an occasional dose 
of sulphur in a " bran mash :" four drachms of sulphur constitute a 
dose. 

The next best advice I have to ofier is. Government horses labor- 
ing under any of the notorious prqsralent affections, are very dear at 
any price ; hence, touch not, purchase not j for ^ooc? money and had 
horses soon part company ; and as the old saying is, " that is the 
way the money goes." 

A great many of the horses lately disposed of by the Government 
are the subjects of a skin disease known to medical men as mange; 
it makes its appearance as a pustular eruption, commencing about 
the regions of the roots of the hair of the mane and tail ; where, 
soon, a scurfy state of the skin appears. The disease soon extends, 
and makes itself visible by spots denuded of hair ; these spots are 
the seat of a coating of mealy powder, which can be rubbed off. 
Throughout the whole course of the disease the animal is tormented 
with an incessant itching sensation, and is continually rubbing and 
biting himself. It should be generally understood that this malady 
is highly contagious, and, therefore, can readily be communicated 
from one horse to another ; hence, the affected animal should not be 
allowed to come in contact with others not so affected. 

Mange, or itch, sometimes assumes a highly inflammatory type ; 
this depends somewhat on the vascularity of the surface of the body, 
and the specific irritability of the skin wliich is peculiar to some 
animals of the sanguine and nervous temperaments. 

In some stages of this skin affection, a close examination will 
detect, under the scarf-skin, little watery eminences, known as vesi- 
cles ; and at the base of the same can be seen little red patches; this 



* See Magnetic Lotioa. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 69 

is the seat of the parasite, and his burrowing course can be distinctly- 
traced from one vesicle to another. 

The parasites, which are said to be the sum and substance of the 
disease, are termed " Acari," and their " manibles," — or mouth — are 
a sort of i^incers, pointed and sharp, which enables them to puncture 
the common integument, or skin of animals, and at the same time to 
imbibe the animal juices, on which they thrive and propagate. 

The remedy, or local application, previously recommended, often 
fails in curing "Itch, or Mange," simply because it is not rubbed on 
the surface with sufficient force to penetrate the scarf-skin; hence, it 
has but little, if any, effect on the concealed parasite. In order to 
obviate this difficulty, all excrementitious matter must be removed 
from the skin by means of a good stiff brush, which brush must never 
be used on any other animal. 

The modern method of applying the local application is to rub it 
into the skin by means of a thick pair of leather gloves, and some 
"elbow grease." The rubbing should be repeated daily until the 
disease is conquered. Supposing the disease to be " stubborn" and 
protracted, the external application must be rubbed into the skin by 
means of a stiff brush, and the animal should be daily dosed with 
the following : 

Sublimated Sulphur 1 drachm. 

Iodide of Potass 20 grains. 

Powdered Poplar Bark 1 drachm. 

To be incorporated with the food. 



PITYRIASIS m ARMY HORSES. 

I was present at a sale of army and contraband horses lately held 
in St. Louis, and I noticed that many of them were the subjects of a 
skin disease known to the members of our profession as "P%nasw," 
which disease chiefly affected the face, neck, sides of the chest and 
flank. 

The disease presented circumscribed patches, more or less denuded 
of hair ; the epidermis, or external covering of the skin, detached 
itself from the sub-tissue in white flakes, yet there appeared to be 
no itching sensation nor impairment of the general health, conse- 
quently I am led toinferthat the disease is not contagious. By fric- 
tion with linseed oil and lime water, equal parts, a cure is easily- 
effected. 



BOTS IN HORSES. 



Bots occur chiefly among horses that have been recently at grass. 
They are generated from the larvas of the oestrus equi ; the larvae are 
deposited on the legs and shoulders, or parts that the horse is apt to 
lick with his tongue ; they then pass into the stomach and become 
attached to the cuticular portion of the same. In the succeeding 
summer they are discharged from the anus, and passing through the 



70 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

chrysalis stage, they appear as a gad-fly, and are then again ready 
to propagate their species. 

1 must confess that in former years I advocated the theory, as 
taught at the schools and through the pages of our text books, that 
hots were innoxious, and seldom^ if ever, did any harm to horses. 
In fact one of our most distinguished writers on veterinary science, 
(the late Mr. Percival), suggested that "bots might serve some useful 
purpose by exciting the function of the stomach, they then arouse 
the sluggishness of this organ, by which means digestion is pro- 
moted." 

Mr. Percival also promulgated the following theory : " You may 
boldly assert that bots are in nowise injurious; still you cannot per- 
suade the world so, and, therefore, you must be prepared to meet 
the complaints of those unbelievers, who will now and then declare 
that their horses have bots — which must be got rid of. But I know 
of no medicine that has the power of destroying them; and even if 
we possessed such, I am not sure that we could, even when dead, 
detach them from the cuticular coat of the stomach to which they 
are attached with small horns." 

Hence, in accordance with the dictum of the schools, and popular 
medical teachings, I formerly was a medical convert to their false 
theories, and dare not use my own experience and intelligence 
aixainst that of tlie recoGi:nizcd authorities. But "facts are stubborn 
things." At the present period, having emancipated myself from 
the theory of the schools on the subject under consideration, I em- 
phatically declare that the presence of bots in a horse's stomach is 
conclusive evidence of an exciting cause of disease, peculiar to the 
digestive organs ; they (the bots) are, in fact, a foreign body located 
in the interior of the stomach, one of the most sensitive organs of 
the animal economy ; they must necessarily pervert the function of 
that organ. 

There is no doubt that a large number of bots congregated within 
the stomach near the termination of the esophagus must interfere 
with the joassage of food into that organ, as the following case will 
illustrate : I was requested sometime ago to see a horse, the subject 
of a climatic affection, which manifested itself in a discharge from 
both nostrils, accompanied by some soreness of throat. The animal 
had been treated by its owner and appeared to be doing well, up to 
the time when my services were sought. I found the patient be- 
dewed with a cold, clammy sweat, small, thread-like pulse, and 
hurried respirations ; his head was extended and the mouth open; 
he appeared to be choking, and made efibrts to vomit. I explored 
the esophagus, and found at the lower part a very perceptible tume- 
faction, as if it were impacted with food. I had about determined 
to cut down upon the esophagus and make an attempt to remove 
whatever might be the cause of the obstruction, but suddenly the 
animal fell down, went into convulsions, and in the course of a few 
minutes died. 

The autopsy revealed the presence of a large cluster of bots, num- 
bering two hundred and seventy-five, located within and around the 
lower part of the gullet, and just within the entrance of the stomach ; 
and so completely had they obstructed the passage, that it was im- 
possible for the food to pass. I found the gullet completely packed 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 71 

with masticated hay, and about three inches above the stomach was 
a rent in the gullet of about three inches in length ; this accounted 
for the sudden death of the horse. There were no signs of any dis- 
ease about the animal except the catarrhal affection ; hence, the bots 
may be considered as the exciting cause of the death of this animal. 

In the face of evidence of this character, and on the strength of 
past experience, together with what Mr. Gamgee has written on the 
subject, I do believe that bots are often injurious to horses, and I 
feel it a duty I owe to those who have perused my former writings 
on the subject, to own up and acknowledge my error. In the case 
ajiluded to I found a very large number of perforations on the cu- 
ticular coat of the stomach, which the bots had previously made and 
occupied ; so it would appear that these creatures had suddenly left 
their camping ground, and congregated together like a swarm of 
bees to cause the death of the horse. 

I am not acquainted with any remedy that would be likely to expel 
the bots from the stomach ; a run at grass will probably have the 
desired effect ; yet if the reader wishes to try the effect of medicine, 
I should recommend the use of the following : 

Powdered Poplar Bark, ) 
Sublimated Sulphur, I Equal parts. 
Powdered Rock Salt, ) 
Mix a tablespoonful in the food twice or thrice weekly, and feed a 
few carrots occasionally. 



DERANGEMENT OF THE STOMACH, OR INDIGESTION. 

Horses the subjects of indigestion, usually have a capricious appe- 
tite ; they will often devour their bedding rather than partake of the 
food which is placed before them; they occasionally eructate gas 
both from the mouth and anus, are usually afflicted with worms, 
have a fcetid breath, are subject to colic, and are very apt to become 
crib-biters. 

Treatment. — Give the animal a few doses of the followinor: 

o 

Powdered Gentian 2 ounces. 

" Poplar Bark 4 " 

Carbonate of Soda 2 " 

Chlorate of Potass 1 " 

Linseed Meal ^ pound. 

Mix ; divide into nine parts ; administer one as a drench, or mix 
it with the food. 

The American Magnetic Powders can be used in lieu of the above, 
and are equally well adapted for cattle and sheep. 



ACUTE RHEUMATISM. 

The faithful servant of man — the horse — does not enjoy immunity 
from the above distressing disease. The same causes which operate 



7,2 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

on the system of man to develop an inflammatory disease of this 
character, are, with unerring certainty, operative on the inferior 
animal. 

In plain language, rheumatism is rheumatism, in whatever system 
you find it ; it is always characterized by pain in "joints" and mus- 
cles ; action of the same generally augments pain, although our 
patient, the horse, cannot always succeed in convincing his owner 
of the fact. It occurs among men and horses at all seasons of the 
year; yet, at the period of sudden transitions from heat to cold, it is 
most prevalent, v^nimals that are heated by exercise and then suf- 
fered to " cool off" without ordinary care, are very apt to become 
the subjects of this malady ; so that prevention, to a certain extent, 
is within the province of all rational beings, and in the exercise of 
preventive measures, we may, in common parlance, "stave oiF," for 
a time, an acute disease, although it be hereditary. Rheumatism, 
like gout, is hereditary ; no educated physician ever opposes this 
proposition ; it develops itself in the predisposed. The indirect 
causes are, obstructed perspiration. Keep the animal comfortably 
warm and avoid undue exposure, and then we have a remedy against 
the development of hereditary rheumatism. 

Mr. Finlay Dun thus discourses on rheumatism : " Rheumatism is 
neither so common, nor are its symptoms so well marked in horses, 
as in cattle. When, however, it does occur in the horse, it mani- 
fests the same well-known appearances which characterize it in all 
animals. It, affects the fibrous tissues of joints, the coverings of 
muscles, tendons, valves about the heart, and larger vessels, and 
manifests a peculiar tendency to shift from one part of the body to 
another, often affecting, in succession, all the larger joints ; at one 
time, chiefly in the neck, at another, in the back and loins, while in 
many of its more acute attacks, it appears to involve almost every 
portion of fibrous and fibro-serous tissues throughout the body. In 
all its various types it exhibits a full, strong, hard, and unyielding 
pulse, caused by the inflammation involving the serous and fibro- 
serous tissues of the heart and circulating vessels. During its 
existence various excrementitious matters accumulate in the blood, 
and the fibrinous constituents of the same exceed their normal pro- 
portions, as indicated by the production of the bufty coat on the 
blood. In severe or badly treated cases, the inflammation is very 
apt to be transformed from the joints and muscles, to the heart and 
its investing: membranes, and it is the dansfer of this chansje in the 
seat of the disease that renders rheumatism so formidable, and often 
so fatal. It always leaves the parts affected so altered as to be 
extremely predisposed to subsequent attacks, and it is more than 
probable that this altered condition is reproduced in the progeny of 
rheumatic subjects, and constitutes in them the inherent tendency 
to the disease. 

"Horses sometimes suffer from rheumutic inflammation in the 
fibrous sheathing envelops of the muscles of the neck, constituting 
what is popularly known as the cAorc4'. When thus aflccted, the 
animal is very stiff, remains as much as possible in one position, and 
is unwilling to bend his neck either one way or the other, or to ele- 
vate or depress his head. There is always more or less fever, with 
a strong, full pulse. Sometimes, as in lumbago, in the human sub- 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. '^3 

ject, it affects the muscles of the back and loins, causing stiffness, 
tenderness, and pain, which are especially evinced on moving or 
turning the animal. These rheumatic affections are very readily 
produced in predisposed subjects by exposure to rain and cold, 
especially vi^hen accompanied by overheating or exhaustion. 

" Rheumatism sometimes occurs in horses as a prominent symptom 
of that epizootic affection which usually receives the much-abused 
title of influenza. In such cases the rheumatism is of a somewhat 
more sub-acute or chronic character than common, and is accompa- 
nied by that low, debilitating fever so often the concomitant of epi- 
zootic maladies. It usually affects all parts of the body susceptible 
of the rheumatic inflammation, is attended particularly by those 
symptoms which indicate disease of the heart and pericardium, as 
an intermittent pulse, &c., and often terminates fatally by effusions 
into the pleura or pericardium, thus causing death by arresting the 
motions of the heart." 

The reader has now before him some of the most im|>ortant 
features of acute rheumatism, and I shall now allude to the 
treatment. 

The remedies used by different practitioners are : Colchicum, cal- 
omel, opium, Dovers powder, tartar emetic, cimicfuga racemosa, 
hellebore, aconite, iodine, nitrate of potassa, acetate of ammonia ; 
each article has its advocate, and at certain stages is indicated. 
I have great faith in colchicum, yet have often succeeded in pro- 
ducing a favorable termination in the use of guiacum, nitrate of 
potassa, and liquor acetate of ammonia. 

The theory of the treatment of acute rheumatism, contemplates an- 
tiphlogistics, to be continued so long as inflammatory symptoms shall 
be severe ; yet we must exercise ordinary discretion in the use of 
antiphlogistic remedies, for should we continue them until all inflam- 
matory symptoms have subsided, we may purge, nauseate, and bleed 
our patients into the vicinity of death's door, without accomplishing 
our object. 

The old-fashioned method of combating an inflammatory diathe- 
sis, in the use of lancet and drastic cathartics, is fast dying out, at 
least a very marked change for the better is observed, and practi- 
tioners, now, depend more on sedatives, diuretics, febrifuges, and 
nauseants, than on the above. One of the principal objects in the 
treatment of acute rheumatism is, to excite diaphoresis ; and in this 
view we recommend a solution of acetate of ammonia, known as 
Liquor Ammonice Acetatis; this is an excellent febrifuge, and dia- 
phoretic, and may be given in broken doses to the amount of eight 
ounces per day. One or two drachms of nitrate of jyotassa (com- 
mon salt petre), may also be given in the form of bolus, yet in order 
to insure diaphoresis, and prevent these agents from passing off by 
the kidneys, the heat of the body must be augmented by clothing. 

Practitioners of hinnan surgery are often in the habit of using 
nitre, in much larger doses than we have dared to administer, yet, 
in some cases, with marked benefit to the patient.* 

* Nitrate of Potassa. — In a case of synovial rheumatism this remedy was given by a Boston 
physician, in a single dose of one ounce, dissolved in a pint and a half of barley water. This was 
followed by one grain of opium. In fifteen hours the pulse was found reduced, and the pain abso- 
lutely gone ; and in a few days the tongue was clean, and the swelling entirely abated. The remedy 



74 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

These agents will probably moderate the heart's action and re- 
lieve the pain ; should they fail to do so, we must resort to nauseants 
and sedatives. The most popular nauseant for horses, is white helle- 
bore, yet it is an agent that can only with safety be used under the 
direction of a qualified practitioner. Mr. Morton recommends it to 
be given in " doses of from twenty to thirty grains, every four or 
six hours, until its action becomes manifest. As soon as this takes 
place, the repetition of the dose must be carefully avoided, lest 
efforts to vomit are produced." 

Should we fail in the use of one or more of the above remedies, 
to lessen the heart's action, and the pulse be fifty or more per min- 
ute, the breathing somewhat hurried, and the pain excruciating, then 
a full dose of medicine must be given (about seven drachms of 
aloes). It may be proper to administer a physic ball in the early 
stage of the disease, and perhaps employ the lancet ; these are mat- 
ters which may be left discretionary with the medical attendant. 
If a mild diaphoresis can be brought about, it will do more good 
than we can expect from the use of either lancet or cathartic. A 
constipated state of the bowels, however, must be overcome either 
by physic, mashes, clysters, or saline aperients. The bicarbonate of 
soda is a very valuable adjunct in the treatment of acute rheuma- 
tism, because, in seven cases out of ten, the whole system is in rn 
acid condition, and if we can (in the language of the chemist) sat- 
urate it with alkali, or in other words, establish an alkaline condition, 
our patient is on the high road to health. 

Now, in case a cathartic be indicated, we must consider the con- 
dition of the patient ; he may be suffering excruciating torment, 
from inflammation of the pleura, pericardium, or synovial mem- 
branes, and if so, our object must be to mitigate pain in the use of 
opium or some other narcotic ; should the patient, therefore, exhibit 
lameness in one or more of the extremities, and the joints of the 
bind or fore limbs become swollen and painful, a local application 
may be of some service, and in this view we recommend the fol- 
lowing: 

Sweet Oil 3 ounces. 

Spirits of Ammonia 1 *' 

Tincture of Aconite 2 " 

Chloroform 2 " 

Mix. Apply a portion to the affected limb or joint, twice, daily. 
In an inflammatory state of the joints it is customary to apply 



caused neither emesis nor catharsis, but passed off by the kidneys. In another case of acute syno- 
vial attack, following chronic rheumatism, the same dose was prescribed without any good effect, 
causing active catharsis. Again, half an ounce of nitrate of potassa, largely diluted, was given every 
two to four hours, until the patient took three ounces in eighteen hours, with two doses of opium of 
one grain each, with entire relief to the pain and fever. When the potash was reduced to drachm 
floses, nausea and vomiting followed, which were relieved by vesication with aqua-ammonia, the blis- 
ier being sprinkled with half a grain of morphine. The patient recovered. Another physician had 
Vised the remedy to the extent of half an ounce in twenty-four hours, for three successive days. He 
found that if tlie salt be given well diluted, it will purge, and vice versa. The physicians of the Mas- 
sachusetts General Hospital had used the remedy, one ounce in twenty-four hours, without good 
feffects, and its use was abandoned. It appears to be conceded, tliat it is sate to give the remedy in this 
quantity, although symptoms of gastritis sometimes followed its use ; but it was always largely diluted, 
and generally in demulcent liquids. "We are in the habit of giving it in rheumatism and other inflam- 
matory affections, in doses of twenty or thirty grains, every two or three hours during the perind of 
excitement or exacerbation, combined with tartar emetic ; but have been deterred from the exhibHion 
of the larger doses above mentioned, from fear of its toxical effect. We have found this combinatioQ 
particularly useful in pneumonia. — Memphis Medical Recorder. 



PECULIAR TO nOESES. 



Y5 



cooling applications, yet the practice is open to the following objec- 
tion ^az it may augment the acute symptoms m and around the 
ioints while it lessens them on the surfaoe ; nevertheless, if action 
of the cutaneous vessels can be maintained, refrigerating lotions can- 



not do harm. 



not ao narm. i •;! i ;i „n 

As soon as the inflammatory, symptoms have subsided, and all 
dano-er of internal disease seems to have disappeared, we must com- 
men'ce a difi"erent plan of treatment ; we must give tonics, not only 
to promote the convalesence of the patient, but also m order to 
prevent the disease assuming a chronic type, which is very apt to be 
the case when the prostrating plan of treatment has been too long 
continued, or practiced with undue severity. From araong-^ the loi- 
lowinff agents the practitioner can select a suitable tonic : bulphat^ 
of iron, cascarilla bark, gentian, quill bark, qmmne, golden seal, 
chamomile flowers, to either of which a smaU portion of ginger may 
be added, provided a stimulant be indicated. 



CHRONIC RHEUMATISM. 

Chronic Rheumatism is generally a sequel to the acute, yet it the 
subiect be closely watched, a train of phenomena may be observed, 
very siraijar to those attending the acute stage, yet difi"ermg in its 
gradual accession, obscure state of the phenomena, and less lunc- 
tional and structural changes. 

At times, chronic rheumatism is nothing more than a modifaed 
and protracted state of the acute stage ; it is migratory like the 
former, attacking this, that, or other tissues, without reference to its 
original locality. For example, a horse may, after a brisk driving 
and subsequent exposure, become lame in the region of the fore ex- 
tremities This lameness may, perhaps, be defined as sub-acute, or 
chronic rheumatism, from the fact that there is no increase in arte- 
rial ■ or respiratory actions ; but the first thing we observe is, that 
the subiect is laboring under hypertrophy of the heart, perhaps car- 
ditis, or endo-carditis, and this is proof positive of the migratory 
character of rheumatism. , , , q mi • • 

But lohy should rheumatism attach the heart? This is quite an 
interestincr question, and thus we answer it. The physiology of the 
heart instmcts us that its motions are governed by the impression 
made upon the susceptible nervous tissues. Its responses are physi- 
ological when the whole system is unembarrassed. It is the centre 
not only of circulation, but of sympathy, and responds to the im- 
pressions made upon the general system; so that if any disturbance 
shall occur in the animal economy, in the form of fever, spasm, ifcc, 
or the horse be afi-righted, punished, or exposed to sudden variations 
in temperature, the heart is one of the organs first deranged. 
Rheumatism, therefore, being migratory, is apt, m traveling Irom 
tissue to tissue, to locate on a deranged organ, especiaUy when that 
organ is one so easily excited as the heart. 

Causes of Rheumatism.— The especial cause of rheumatism is, 
hereditary [predisposition. In certain families, morbid tendencies 



76 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

are transmitted from parent to offspri g, and display themselves in 
the development of parental defect and deformity. There are, 
also, general exciting causes, such as exposure after perspiring 
freely, damp and cold stables, errors in diet, or stable management, 
over-work, &c. '^ 

Principal symptoms of chronic rheumatism. — The subject is gen- 
erally observed to travel a limited, or stiffened gait at first, when 
taken out of the stable. He appears ^''stiffened up^'^ as the saying 
is, yet '-''limbers up''"' as he proceeds. This depends, however, some- 
what on the temperature of the atmosphere, for the animal is noth- 
ing less than a walking barometer, and the slightest alteration in the 
weather affects him very sensibly. 

The disease may manifest itself in the diffuse form, affecting the 
body as well as the limbs and feet, which gives to the animal a sort 
of wiry, spare appearance; yet otherwise, he appears well, and can 
play his part at the game of food as well as any horse. In the ab- 
sence of all inflammatory symptoms, this peculiar and almost ruined 
condition is designated by some as general founder ; and as no one 
has ever drawn a line of demarcation between what is known to 
medical men as chronic rheumatism, and what the rest of the 
world denominate chronic founder, we shall consider that chronic 
rheumatism is founder, and vice versa. 

Passing from the diffuse form, this chronic affection may locate in 
the muscles of the trunk; then it gets the name of " hodyfoimder.'''* 
The animal is then unable to move the body in lateral directions, 
without showing an awkward stiffness ; and on being made to turn 
a corner, when going at a smart gait, a stiffness, apparently in the 
spinal regions, is generally perceived. 

At times it locates in the pectoral region, and in consequence of 
either long continued pain (which is known to exhaust muscular ro- 
tundity), or innutrition, the parts present a shrunken or hollow 
aspect. In the absence of acute symptoms, this is the veritable 
" chest founder.'''' 

A disease of this character long confined to one or both shoulders 
Js often followed by a similar wasting of the spinatus muscles, and 
is often termed " sweeney." The same condition of parts, however, 
may be the consequence of diseased feet, for we often observe an 
atrophy, or wasting of the above muscles in animals that have long 
been the subjects of chronic laminitis, and altered structures about 
the feet. The term founder is often applied to a ruined state of 
these parts. Chronic rheumatism is more apt to localize itself than 
the acute kind, and once located, it is not so easily removed, although 
the animal may receive benefit from the ordinary means, such as 
warm clothing, and stimulating embrocations ; yet, when exposed to 
wet or cold, he again relapes into his former condition, traveling 
stiff and lame as ever. The stiffness and lameness, if there be any, 
attending chronic rheumatism, disappears to a certain extent after a 
brisk trot, whereas acute rheumatism is generally aggravated by 
exercise. 

Chronic rheumatism may, however, appear in one spot to-day, 
and to-morrow manifest itself in another, yet the affected parts ex- 
hibit none ot the heat or tenderness, difficult respiration, wiry 
pulse, or functional disturbance which attend the acute sta^e^ so 



PECULIAR TO HORSES.i *^ 

that the difference between the acute and chronic conditions of this 
affection is very marked. 

Treatment of Chronic Rheumatism. -Xoca^ treatment con- 

• f a fn tTp aDDlication of vapor, warm blankets and leggmgs, and 

^lilTaS u'nSrthe pienl to be located in a warm, yet ven- 

'^The foUowing is probably one of the best local applications: 

Sulphuric Ether 2 ounces. 

Oil of Cedar -^ ^, 

Camphor. . 

Proof Spirit \V^f 

Soft Soap ^ f^^' ^. . ^, 

Dissolve the oil of cedar in the sulphuric ether; then dissolve the 

mornino', so long as the case may seem to require it. 

Constitutional TRKATMENT.-The constitutional remedies are 
various Those entitled to our greatest confidence are : 

Xsi-Medicines which act upon the cutaneous vessels. 

sZoncm-UedicimB recognized as pure tonics which impart 

beconmy me" o „,;n,„„t. inHnn.inir subseauent pros- 



tone 
tration. 



and activity to organs^ without inducing subsequent pros- 

MZy-Medicines known as general stimulants, that excite 

"t'anS^of the above, we give the following formula: 

Thaver's Fluid Extract of Black Cohosh, diaphoretic 2 ounces. 

\, u <i Gentian, pure tonic ^ ^^ 

„ « « Jamaica Ginger, stimulant 1 ^^ 

Syrup of Garlic, anti-spasmodic 

Mix. . , , • „ :„ 

One-fourth of this mixture may be given night and mormng, m 

^OtheTmedttnes are in high repute, such, for example, as hydrio- 
date of potassa, nitrate of pitassa, phosphate of ammonia, camphor, 
aconite, capsicum, &c., &c. 



HERPES IN HOESES. 

Theterm " Jlerpes" is derived from the Greek, which signifies 
« J>!*»™ ecfusTthe disease creeps and spreads about the skin 

S United States, I believe, this cutaneous affection has never 
ricroA in an enizootio form. I have seen and treated a few isolatea 
cafes and the subiects of the same were of a lymphatic and scrofu- 

oin'emfera;:r In these cases it appeared as an e™pUon m tte 
form of vesicles and scurvy roughness of the skm, the vesicles or 

ruptl:, af tot, were inf egular clusters but m the -urse of a 
fpw<lqv<ithev became confluent, or ran together, ineie exifteu 
some heat and tenderness in the'vioinity of the diseased loca^ities- 
head,neck, shoulders and limbs-and the general health of the am- 



78 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

mals was more or less impaired. After a period of from ten to 
twenty days, some of the clusters of vesicles were ruptured, leaving 
a rough furfur aceous scale. 

Treatment of Non-cutaneous Herpes. — The surface of the 
body is to be thoroughly sponged with a tepid alkaline wash, which 

' tsists of — 

Warm Water 1 gallon. 

Carbonate of Soda 4 ounces. 

This will remove all extraneous and morbid matter from the sur 
See. The animal must be rubbed perfectly dry before the " herpes 
lotion''' is applied. 

Herpes Lotion. Glycerine, two ounces ; Oil of Turpentine, fom 
ounces ; Cod Liver Oil, one pint. Mix. 

Sponge the affected parts every night, prior to the reapplication 
of the lotion. The parts to which it has been applied, are to be 
rubbed dry by means of a piece of coarse crash. During the period 
of the local treatment, the patient should get a few doses of altera- 
tive medicine. The following is a good example : 

Fluid Extract of Sassafras 7 ounces. 

Hydriodate of Potass 1 drachm. 

Dose : one ounce daily. 

The most alarming form of Herpes is the epizootic, and as the 
husbandmen of this country have great interests at stake, yet know 
very little about its nature and symptoms, I here introduce some 
remarks from the pen of Prof Papa : 

"At the commencement of 1849, Count Faverage invited Prof. 
Papa to the valley of Borne, in Savoy, to see a disease affecting ani- 
mals, and which even spread to men. Every facility was offered by 
Government to Prof. Papa, and many persons having affected ani- 
mals were requested to permit their inspection, and indeed, threat- 
ened with a fine if they did not. Papa saw about three hundred 
horses and mules affected. The disease appeared in circular patches 
of furfuraceous scales, with greyish-white scabs. These patches 
had usually well-defined margins, about the size of a dollar, or five- 
shilling piece. Usually they were isolated, but at other times they 
were confluent or running together in groups. The head, neck, 
withers, shoulders and loins were the parts chiefly affected ; more 
rarely the upper portion of the extremities, and never on the lower 
part of the limbs, chest, or belly. The malady commences with a 
violent itching, and an eruption in small circumscribed points, about 
the size of a lentil, is witnessed. The scabs form, with the exuda- 
tion drying and entangling cuticle and hairs. In the vicinity of the 
first, other eruptive spots appeared, which widening, became conflu- 
ent, and ran into one another, especially where the skin is folded, 
and animals have a chance of rubbing themselves. A scab forms on 
the sore surface, and the surface beneath is red and tumefied, but in 
a little while desquamation occurs. A very careful microscopical 
examination failed to indicate the existence of any acari." 

The disease is contagious, and Papa says, all those who come more 
or less in contact with herpetic horses and mules, and especially the 
conductors of the same, were covered on the arms, legs, chest and 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 79 

face with pruriginous eruptions, limited and circumscribed, some- 
times isolated, occasionally confluent, in the form of red patches 
covered with papulae and vesicles, which become encrusted with 
brownish-yellow scabs, beneath which purulent deposits formed. In 
consequence of the violent pruritics attending this disease, it was 
believed to be scabies or itch by the people, and though in many 
houses individuals were affected, they were ashamed to confess it, 
and it was with great difficulty that Papa collected information on 
the subject; but having gained the confidence of the latter, the peo- 
ple more freely related their cases to him. The first to be affected, 
were those entrusted with dressing the diseased animals. The parts 
first attacked were the articular regions, about the forearm, arm, 
face, and rarely the lower limbs. 

Papa describes one of many cases of direct contagion. It occurred 
in a lad of sixteen, who had jumped on the bare back of an affected 
horse to take it to a watering place. Two days afterwards, on the 
inside of the thighs and legs, from the pubis to the calf of the leg, 
there was extreme pruritis. The skin became of reddish-brown 
color, and vesicles full of a yellowish lymph formed, which gave way 
to vesicular patches or scabs, rough to the touch, first isolated, and 
afterwards confluent. 

The transmrssion occurred from horse to horse, horse to man, and 
from man to man ; in fact, persons who never touched an affected 
horse, were infected from individuals they came in contact with. A 
soldier having arrived in perfect health from his regiment, slept with 
his brother who suffered from the disease, and became affected. The 
wives of carters not only took the disease, but communicated it to 
their sucking infants. 



WATERING HORSES. 

Although few persons pay proper attention to this department of 
stable management, yet a little reflection will prove of how much 
importance it is, that the horse should be supplied with such water 
as is most palatable to him. Horses have a great aversion to what 
is termed hard water, and have been known to turn away from the 
filthy stuff found in the troughs of some of our stables : the water 
of wells and pumps in our seaport towns is usually hard, and pos- 
sesses a degree of coldness not at all congenial with the palate oi 
the animal. The intense coldness of well water, in the summer 
months, has been known to gripe, and produce spasmodic colic, 
injuring the animal in other ways. 

Pure water will never hurt a horse, if given to him at proper 
times and in small quantities ; the English grooms generally water 
from a bucket three times, daily ; water given in this manner 
scarcely, if ever, does harm ; but let a horse be driven hard, and 
then allow him to go to the trough and imbibe water, ad libitum^ 
more than he actually needs, the same may prove injurious, and 
result in some disease known as ''''founder^ The latter clause is in 
accordance with the popular theories of the day, which are always 
open to argument. Hence, we shall now examine into the merits oi 
the case. 



80 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

I don't believe one-half the multitude of stories that are told 
about water ''''foundering horses /" in a great majority of cases the 
blame rests with Mr. Fastman, who has either over-driven or over- 
worked the poor brute, or else has suffered him, Avhen heated, to 
cool off without the necessary care and attention which should 
always be observed when animals are fatigued or perspirhig freely. 

Hard usage, willful neglect, and wanton cruelty, are more likely to 
produce disease than the "universal beverage" so acceptable to the 
palate of a weary or thirsty horse. How often do we see a "^ei" 
horse come into the stable all exhausted and used-up^ scarcely able 
to advance one limb before another ! Examine into the facts, and 
we shall find that the powers of the subject have perhaps been over- 
taxed. He has been driven too far, or at too rapid a rate for the 
present state of his constitution to endure ; and perhaps he has not had 
sufficient nourishment to repair the waste incidental to the living 
mechanism, under the states of rapid and protracted labor. Is not 
this enough to account for the used-up condition ? Is it not more 
,4s rational to suppose that abuse of the respiratory organs, and those 

'*; of locomotion, operates far more unfavorably on the horse than wa- 

ter ? It is. But Mr. Fastman must, if there be any blame rightly 
belonging to him, try to shift the same from his shoulders, and there- 
fore he avails himself of a popular error, " Se drank too imtch water.'''' 
Yet the individual has no means of ascertaining the precise quantity 
needed. We might say the same as regards our dray horses, whose 
labors are very fatiguing. They come from their work, and as soon 
as unharnessed, go to the trough and imbibe from one to three buckets 
without any bad effect. Some horses need more water than others ; 
the kind of work, the temperature of the atmosphere, and the nature 
of the food, whether it be wet or dry^ all tend to diversify an ani- 
mal's want. The domesticated horse requires a bountiful supply of 
good water; his body is composed of seventy-five per cent, of the 
same, and he can no more exist without it than he can without food. 

Consider for a moment the condition of the people of this city 
during the sultry season. Thirst almost amounts to a disease ; to 
allay the same, they are continually imbibing water, rendered cold, 
hot, sour, sweet or alkaline, just as fancy dictates, or as fashion pre- 
vails; cold ices and other fixings are called into requisition to 
smother the fire of thirst that rages within ; everybody partakes 
freely, the young and the aged, the exhausted and vigorous ; the 
laborer, exhausted by a hard day's work, and the rich man, of no 
work — each and all are doing their best to see the bottom of the 
pitcher, and to pitch their bodies into the watery element ; yet, after 
all, how few persons complain of any bad effects fr#m the same. 

Inquire into the history of some of the acute maladies that are 
supposed to arise from water-drinking, and it will be found that 
many of the sufferers have a peculiarity of constitution, which ren- 
ders them amenable to the laws of primogenial disease, which, 
although latent, under ordinary circumstances, can, by disturbing 
the life forces, through neglect, cruelty and over-work, be developed 
at almost any time of life. 

At this stage, my argument as regards what water *' will not do " 
ends. I have at the commencement admitted that, under certain 
circumstances, if a horse be permitted to imbibe too much, it may 



PECULIAE TO HORSES. 81 

iijjure him; but this is rather a faulty assuraption, because no one 
can ever determine the precise quantity suitable to meet the wants 
of all animals, and therefore the assumption falls to the ground. 

Horses should, in warm weather, bo watered often, say two to 
three quarts every three or four hours, provided the horse be at 
work ; should he be in a cool stable enjoying a sort of lazy life, he 
will require less, and three times a day will be often enough to sup- 
ply his wants. 

" Strange water^'*'' as it is termed, is not good for horses, yet when 
given in small quantities at a time, seldom, if ever, does harm. 

Stagnant and filthy water is always more or less injurious, and 
should never be offered to so noble an animal as a horse. 

On the road a horse may be watered often, provided he have but 
a small quantity at a time; if he obtain more, it occupies space in 
the abdominal cavity, and in rapid motion interferes with the physi- 
ological action of important viscera. 

Watering immediately after a full meal is a practice highly cen- 
surable; for at such times water retards digestion, and the food, 
instead of being digested, is apt to undergo a process of fermentation. 



TEETHING IN HORSES. 

There is no doubt that many young colts suffer as much pain in 
cutting their teeth as is the case with children ; and the pain does 
not always arise, as some j^ersons suppose, from irritation of the 
mucous membrane of the mouth, occasioned by the point of the 
tooth, but frequently from pressure ouj and irritation of, the dental 
nerve. The remedy (instead of tormenting the suffering creature 
with a red hot iron for thepurpose of " burning out the lampas^'' as 
some persons profess to do) is a common thumb lancet. Make an in- 
cision through the gum^ or mucous membrane of the mouth, in the 
region of the tusks or incisors, wherever the difficulty may be, and 
relief is almost immediate. This is a sure remedy to relieve local 
distension of the mucous membrane of the mouth, if it exist, and 
at the same time prevents the fang of the tooth from irritating the 
dental nerve. 

Sharp and Projecting Teeth. — Owing to the unequal wear of 
some horses' teeth, they become sharp on the outside margins, and 
are then apt to irritate and perhaps lacerate the buccal membrane of 
the cheeks. Should this be the case, we generally find that the sali- 
vary secretion is augmented, mastication is imperfect, and the sub- 
ject generally looses flesh, and appears unthrifty. The remedy is a 
mouth rasp. By means of this instrument, the sharp or projecting 
edges may be smoothed. 

Inflamed and Tender Mouth. — Inflammation, tenderness, and 
tumefaction of the horse's mouth, arising from whatever cause it may, 
generally indicates the application of cooling and astringent lotions ; 
and light diet of bran mashes, cooling lotion, composed of solution 
of hydrochlorate of ammonia, or chlorate of potassa, are indicated 
when the mouth is hot or inflamed. A tender mouth, accompanied 
by corrugations and relaxation of the soft palate, known as " lam- 



82 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

pas^"* requires a few applications of some astringent lotion, made of 
alum, gum catechu, raspberry leaves, white oak bark, or diluted 
tincture of muriate of iron. 



LIGHT IN STABLES. 

Stables should be so constructed, by the insertion of windows in 
various parts of the building, that they should be " light as day^ 
A ^'■dark " stable is only a suitable black hole — prison house for such 
a vicious specimen of the equine race as the notorious " Cruiser.'''' 
It is also the very worst location for any kind of animal. Sir 
A. Nylie (who was long at the head of the medical staff in the Rus- 
sian army) states that the cases of disease on the dark side of an 
extensive barrack, at St. Petersburg, have been uniformly, for many 
years, ia the proj^ortion of three to one to those on the side exposed 
to a strong and uniform light. Humboldt has also remarked that, 
among bipeds, the residents of South America, w^ho wear very little 
clothing (thus allowing the cutaneous, as well as the orbital sui-faces, 
to receive a free ray of light), enjoyed immunity from various dis- 
eases which prevailed extensively among the inhabitants of the 
dark rooms and underground locations ; and so excellent an author- 
ity as Linna3us contends that the constant exposure to solar light is 
one of the causes which render a summer journey through high 
northern latitudes so peculiarly healthful and invigorating. Dr. Ed- 
wards has also remarked that persons who live in caves or cellars, 
or in very dark or narrow streets, are apt to produce deformed chil- 
dren ; and that men who work in mines are liable to disease and 
deformity. 

Light, therefore, is a condition of vital activity ; and in view only 
of preserving the sight of a horse, it is absolutely necessary that 
while he be the habitant of the stable, his optics shall have free access 
to the sun's rays. 

If a horse was in the same condition as a polype, with no organ 
of vision, which shuns light, a dark stable might prove to be his 
earthly paradise ; but as the horse has special organs of vision, evi- 
dently susceptible to the influence of light, and the integrity of his 
organism, or part of the same, depending entirely on the admission 
of light, it is absolutely necessary that stables should be constructed 
accordingly. 



GLANDERS. 

This is one of the most terrible diseases to which the horse is sub- 
ject. In fact, it is also terrible to man, for it is communicable from 
horse to man, and many cases are on record going to show that 
whole families have been destroyed by absorbing the glandered 
virus. The disease has been styled " the phthisis^ or consumption 
of the equine race," from the fact that the lungs of the glandered 
subject are the seat of tubercles, and many other features of the 
disease resemble those attending human consumption. Glanders is, 
however, unlike consumption. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 83" 

C^usE OF Glanders. — In former years, glanders was very prev- 
alent among horses in the city of London. At that time very Uttlc 
attention was paid either to ventilation or cleanliness. At the pres- 
ent time, however, the disease is rare, from the fact that horses are 
now better treated and cared for than then. 

The predisposing causes of glanders probably lurk in breed, and 
when such animals become the subjects of neglected or protracted 
nasal discharges and nasal gleet, glanders is very apt to supervene. 

The direct cause of glanders is innoculation. Animals become 
innoculated, in consequence of the virus, or discharge from the nose, 
coming in contact with an absorbing or liighly vascular surface ; by 
infection, also, the malady is propagated ; for example, should a 
glandered horse be placed in a filthy, unventilated stable, beside an 
unaffected animal, the latter will soon become a victim to the 
disease. 

The indirect causes of glanders are impure air, exposure, harrass- 
in^ marches, overwork, and food of bad quality. It must be remem- 
bered, also, that the disease may have a spontaneous origin. 

Whenever a large number of horses are congregated together 
in a very limited space, glanders is apt to occur. Mr. Percival 
contends — 

1. That farcy and glanders, which constitute the same disease, 
are propagated through the medium of stabling, and this we believe 
to be the more usual way in which the disease is communicated 
from horse to horse. 

2. That infected stabling may harbor and retain the infection for 
months, or even years ; and although by thoroughly cleansing, and 
making use of disinfecting means, the contagion might be destroyed, 
yet it would not be wise to occupy such stables immediately after 
such supposed or alleged disinfection. 

3. The virus or poison of glanders may lie for months in a state 
of incubation in the horse's constitution, before the disease breaks 
out. Of this we have had the most positive evidence. 

4. That when a stable of horses becomes contaminated, the dis- 
ease often makes fearful ravages among them before it quits ; and it 
is only after a period of several months' exemption from all disease 
of the kind, that a clean bill of health can be rendered. 

Nature of Glanders.— It consists of a discharge from the left 
nostril, of matter, which, by transfer or innoculation, will produce 
the disease in another animal (of the equme or human species), 
and which discharge is, sooner or later, accompanied by chancrous 
ulcerations on the lung membianes of the nose, and by an enlarge- 
ment of the lymphatus glands within the angles of the lower jaw. 
In the latter stages of the disease, a discharge takes place from both 
nostrils. 

The (Jeep seated lymphatus are also affected, and finally tubercu- 
lar deposits take place in the lungs. 

The subject of glanders usually has an unhealthy appearance, 
loses flesh, and finally becomes a " dog horse." 

The disease sometimes assumes the acute form, and runs through 
its course with fearful rapidity. The chronic glanders is more insidi- 
ous in its character, and the affected animal may live a long time. 



84 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

Treatment of Glanders. — I am satisfied that there is no spe 
oific remedy for a pure case of glanders. Experiments on a very 
extensive scale have been made in England and France, by some of 
the most experienced veterinary surgeons, and they do not offer very 
much encouragement for us to attempt the cure of glanders. The 
fact is, there are very few cases of cure on record, and the same re- 
marks apply to the cure of confirmed phthisis, or consumption. 

Whoever undertakes to attempt the cure of this awful malady 
must remember that he is running a great risk of losing his own 
life, for the absorption of the least particle of the virus will cause 
death in one of the most horrible of all forms. 

My advice is, that when a horse shows unmistakable symptoms 
of pure glanders, that he be destroyed. 

In cases of suspected glanders, when the diagnostic symptoms 
cannot be detected, it may be proper to place the animal under med- 
ioal treatment ; for, in the absence of such symptoms, the case may 
happen to be one of nasal gleet, for which I recommend the fol- 
lowing: 

Phosphate of Lime 6 ounces. 

Powdered Poplar Bark 8 " 

*' Blood-root 2 " 

" African Ginger 4 * 

Mix. Dose, one ounce daily. 

In allusion to the curability of pure glanders, it may be proper for 
me to remark that many men contend that they have cured glanders. 
This arises from the fact that they made a mistake, and confounded 
glanders with another disease. 

In view of furnishing the reader with collateral evidence as re- 
gards the causes of glanders^ I introduce the following quotations : 

" The causes of glanders may be considered under the general 
heads of predisposing and exciting. 

" Predisposition may lurk in hreed^ in constitution^ in age; or it 
may be generated through the influence of so^7, climate^ aliment^ <Sbc. 

"Breed, we have, I think, pretty satisfactory evidence, carries 
with it predisi^osition to certain diseases. To use a vulgar, but ex- 
pressive phraseology, " they run the blood." Periodic ophthalmia 
is, perhaps the most striking instance of this.* Roaring, according 
to many authorities, is another.f Whether glanders or farcy can be 
ranked in the class of hereditary maladies, I am not prepared to 
say. Leblanc hesitates not to assert that it can. I should certainly 
give it as my opinion that inasmuch as tender or delicate con- 
stitutions are inherited by horses, to the same extent they 
become predisposed to certain diseases; to those, in particular, 
affecting the respiratory organs, and with these, to glanders ; and 
the same appears to be the notion of Dupuy, when he informs us 
that the ' lank, ill-conditioned horse, the one that is soft in consti- 
tution, and soon knocked up at his work,' is the subject the most 
likely to breed or contract ' the tuberculous affection,' as he calls 
glanders and farcy. Furthermore, a constitution originally strong 
and resistant, may be reduced to a weak or ' ill-conditioned ' sus- 

* See Part 1, Vol. Ill, of the Hypopathology, page 90, et sequent. 
t See Vol. II of the Hypopathology, page 29. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 85 

ceptible state, by bad keep, over-work, exposure to cold and wet, 
&c,, or through the faihire of any of its principal organs, especially 
of the lungs. Constitutional predisposition may, therefore, prove to 
be either natural or acquired. 

"Age, we well know, has considerable influence in predisposing 
horses to take diseases of the air passages — to take catarrh^ bron- 
chitis^ strangles^ glanders. We have no reason, however, to suppose 
that this influence is operative in the case of glanders in particular^ 
for the same reason that a young horse is more likely to catch a cold 
than an old. For the same reason, should he go within the reach 
of the exciting causes of glanders, he may be considered as especi- 
ally predisposed to that disease. Out of forty cases of farcy and 
glanders occurring in the Ordnance, under the superintendence of 
my father, and, latterly, of myself, the ages of which happen to be 
registered, one was three years old, one four years old, six in the 
sixth year, six in their seventh year, six in eighth, five in their ninth, 
eleven ten years old and upwards. Consequently, so far as this 
brief account goes, the adult and middle ages appear to sufier most 
from the disease. 

" In respect to climate and soil, it would appear that glanders 
is a rare disease in cold, and absolutely unknown in hot climates, in 
Arabia and Africa, to which, I believe, we may add India ; my 
cousin, Mr. Charles Percival, having informed me that, during his 
eight years' residence in Bengal, while serving in the eleventh 
light dragoons, quartered at Meerut and Cawnpoore, he had not a 
single case either of farcy or glanders. M. Saunier, veterinary sur- 
geon to the king of Portugal, assured Dupuy that no case of glan- 
ders had occurred, to his knowledge, during the thirty years he had 
been living at Lisbon. This was prior to the occupation of that 
country by British troops. At the time of the Peninsular cam- 
paign, every body in our army knew that both farcy and glanders 
prevailed to a great extent, particularly among the mules that were 
in our employ as bat animals. To what such dread changes were 
owing — why a country, at one time said to be free from any such 
disease, should, some years after, become, as it were, the very focus 
of contamination — is a fact which, if I mistake not, may prove of 
some importance to us in the investigation we are about to make in 
the exciting causes of glanders. 

"Wet and cold are at all times prejudicial to horses' constitutions, 
and especially to those either very young or very old ; and though 
the better their feed the less they are likely to suff*er under such ex- 
posure, yet will these agents predispose and be very apt to lay the 
foundation for pulmonary, mesenteric, and glandular disease, which, 
in the end, will produce farcy and glanders. 

*' Before we proceed to the consideration of the second class of 
causes, viz., the exciting causes, it v/ill be well for us to inform our- 
eelyes of the opinion of such veterinary writers, foreign as well as 
British, as appear to have paid much attention to the subject, and 
particularly to that all-important branch of it, contagion ; a branch 
which, at one period of time, has had supporters on all sides, while 
at another it has been left almost without any. These I shall arrange 
in the order of the date of the respective works. 

" Solleysell, 1669, pronounced glanders to be ' the most contagious 



\ 

86 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

distemper to which horses are obnoxious; for not only,' says he, 
' does it communicate its venom at a small distance, but it infects the 
very air^ and seizes on all horses that are under the same roof with 
him that languishes from it' ' There are, (however) seveixil kinds 
of glanders, sortie of which are not so extremely infectious as others, 
though there are none that ought not to be suspected.' 

"The 'causes of glanders' Mr. Smith enumerates to be: 1, Gen- 
eral debility ; 2, A previous disease ; 3, Breathing an impure air ; 4, 
Exposure to a current of cold air, or being permitted to drink cold 
water when hot ; 6, A sudden transition from cold to heat, and vice 
versa; 6, Infection. The first three of these Mr. Smith regards as 
predisposing causes / the latter three being excitmg causes. ' Gen- 
eral debility may be considered the forerunner of every disease, the 
system being thereby rendered more susceptible to morbid impres- 
sions.' ' Glanders is frequently produced by a variety of other 
diseases.' ' I have seen the mucous membrane ulcerated, the bone 
carious, and all the characteristic symptoms of glanders produced 
by a cut of a sabre. I have also seen one case in which glanders 
was produced from the effects of a severe fall, by which the frontal 
sinuses were perforated ; in another, the os frontis laid entirely bare, 
and the concussion so violent as to excite a copious discharge of 
mucus and pus from the nostrils ; and in another, the same symp- 
toms produced by a blow on the superior part of the nasal bones.' 

"To conclude with my own opinions on the subject of contagion, 
they are, shortly, these : I have no more doubt of glanders being a 
contagious disease, than I have of syphilis, or small-pox, or itch being 
contagious. At the same time, from the known fastidiousness of 
contagion in regard to its operation, and from the several collateral 
circumstances required to insure its eflect in the case of glanders in 
the horse, in the generality of instances the chances of escaping un- 
der its influence, greatly, I believe, exceed those of contamination. 
The comparatively few examples that any of us can adduce of con- 
tagion, even after an experience of many years, in ray mind seems 
to warrant this inference ; at the same time, these examples are fully 
sufficient, both to establish the fact and warn us against running any 
risk of propagating the disease. The lamentable, as well as discred- 
itable difference of opinion that has hitherto existed on the conta- 
giousness of glanders, seems to have arisen out of the narrowness 
of the circuit of observation whence the deductions have been made. 
One mnn's practice may not have furnished him with any well-marked 
examples of contagion, another's may have shown him several ; the 
former infers that glanders is a disease of self-origin, the latter that 
contagion is its source ; both too precipitately and confidently run- 
ning to their opposite conclusions. Let us hope, however, now that 
our sphere of observation and experience is becoming so much 
enlarged by the contributions of fellow-laborers, both in our own and 
in foreign countries, that we shall approximate in our opinions on 
this vitally important question ; and, as a humble step toward such 
desirable agreement, I believe the conclusions I have, after a good 
deal of deliberation and some experience, come to here, will not be 
found widely diverse from the opinions entertained by the majority 
of veterinarians whose works or words are, at the time I am writing, 
known to us." 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 87 

FARCY. 

Authorities define Farcy to be a disease of the lymphatic vessels, 
makiDg its appearance in the form of circular swellings, termed/arcy 
bads, which terminate in a discharge and ulceration. 

Symptoms. — The horse usually exkibits some symptoms of a 
deranged condition ; sometimes, however, scarcely noticeable, at 
others very apparent. The horse is not in his usual spirits, appears 
dull, and does not partake of food with his accustomed relish. Some 
horses will have feOrile symptoms, pulse quicker than natural, mouth 
hot, urine high-colored, &c. ; others are suddenly attacked with a 
swollen leg. Horses often become suddenly lame in one of the hind 
extremities. Mr. Percival remarks : *' I have known horses so lame 
from farcy, before the disease had in any local or characteristic form 
declared itself, that shoes have been removed, and feet searched, 
<fcc., to discover the cause and seat of lameness, no suspicion having 
existed, at the time, that farcy was present in the animal's system. 
It may so happen, however, that none of these preliminary symptoms 
are observed or observable ; that, on the contrary, farcy at once 
develops in an attack on some locality — most probably one hind 
limb. Indeed, so sudden, sharp, and severe are attacks of farcy in 
some instances, that in the course of one night the horse's limb will 
be swollen to a frightful size, so as to incapacitate him almost from 
turning in his stall and walking out of the stable. 

*' Ordinarily the development of farcy plainly accounts for the 
halting or lameness ; now and then, however, the lameness appears 
without any ostensible cause. 

. " Viewing the affected limb from behind, we perceive a fulness on 
the inside of the thigh, along the course of the femoral vein ; and 
the application of our fmger to this will immediately detect a corded, 
nodous swelling, which has been happily enough, in the sensation it 
conveys to our feel, compared to a * cord with so many knots tied in 
it.'' This is at once declarative of a disease in the lymphatic vessels 
of the presence of farcy. 

" Tracing the cord upward from its place of origin, which com- 
monly is above the hock, the hand is carried into the groin, and there 
discovers a lobulated tumor, a swelling of the inguinal glands, which 
may, without impropriety, be called a bubo; sometimes, however, the 
bubo does not make its appearance until after the full development 
of the cord. 

" Farcy does not at all limes make its attack in this open and un- 
ambiguous form ; on occasions it presents itself in a shape so insid- 
ious, that at first we hardly suspect it to be farcy, unless there happen 
to be present circumstances to induce suspicion of its existence. 
Sometimes one of the limbs, most likely the hind, will swell below 
instead of above the hock, and the sweUing will increase around the 
fetlock, and an abscess will form there. In other cases, blotches or 
isolated pustules will break out upon the limbs, more likely upon the 
inner than the outer side of them, or upon the body, or upon the 
shoulders, neck, breast, or quarters ; and these will break and dis- 
charge among the hair, clothing those parts with an ichorous or 
dirty-looking, thin j)uriform matter." 



88 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

I 

I 

These are the general symptoms of farcy ; if any doubt, however, 
exists as to the nature of the disease, it will in a few days, some- 
times in a few hours, be dispelled by observing corded lymphatics 
issuing from these patches, which soon become running sores. 

A case of farcy came under my observation a short time ago. 
The subject had for some time been suffering under constitutional 
derangement, gradually losing his appetite and flesh. An influenza 
was now prevailing in the stable, which attacked all the inmates. 
The one alluded to had a fetid discbarge from the nose, differing 
from that of the other horses ; and soon farcy buds made their ap- 
pearance, accompanied by swelling of the legs. The fetid breath, 
together with the constitutional symptoms, would seem to favor the 
hypothesis that the patient was a subject of deep-seated farcy, and, 
probably, had been such for a length of time. It was thought advis- 
able to destroy this animal. The others all recovered; four of the 
number, however, having swollen legs, were permitted to run a few 
days at grass before they could be put to work. Veterinary writers 
speak of several forms of farcy ; but these are only varieties of the 
same disease, differing only in their symptoms and duration, assum- 
ing a mild or malignant form, as the case may be, in exact ratio to 
the general health of the subject. 

The first stage of farcy is tumefaction of the lymphatics — " devel- 
opment of the farcy bud." 

The second stage is commonly a suppurative one, terminating in 
a farcy ulcer. After passing through these two stages, the disease 
may, and frequently does, terminate in glanders. Hence the prog- 
nosis of farcy, in most cases, is considered unfavorable. Yet, when 
it attacks horses in good condition, some hopes may be entertained 
of a cure. In the diagnosis of farcy, we are not apt to be mistaken, 
provided we keep in mind the language of a distinguished veterin- 
ary writer, who says, "No swelling of a hind limb (or any other 
part) constitutes a case of farcy, apart from the unequivocal signs 
of lymphatic disease. There must be present corded, nodulated 
swellings — buds in some form or other — together with actual or ap- 
proaching tumefaction of the lymphatic glands, or the case is not 
farcy." 

" I cannot help thinking," says the same author, " from accounts 
I have perused in some veterinary works, that both glanders and 
farcy have been mistaken ; or, rather, that diseases of another kind 
have been mistaken for them, and for farcy oftener than for glan- 
ders. One disease in particular, and one that is by no means so 
very rare in its occurrence, I feel quite certain has been called by 
the name of farcy, and under this appellation appears to have been 
* cured,' and to have been recorded as such. The disease I allude 
to is that which is now known by the name of diffuse inflammation 
of the cellular membrane — a disease consisting in the generally sud- 
den appearance of lumps or patches of sub-cutaneous effusion, of a 
solid and even firm description, attended by (Edematous, swollen 
states of the limbs, belly, sheath, &c., and thus having, so far, the 
character of water farcy. ^ But in these cases, let it be well ob- 

* What was in former times known as water farcy, is now understood as superficial dropsy — aa 
eflfusiou into the cellular tissue. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 89 

served that there is no lymphatic disease, nothing like farcy buds 
and cords ; in which circumstance it is (connected with the course 
and termination these respective diseases are seen to have) that we 
are to seek a correct diagnosis. 

*' But how are we to distinguish farcy buds from some cutaneous 
eruptions — from surfeits,* which appear so much like them? There 
is but one species of fjircy for which these eruptions ean be mista- 
ken, and that is the diffuse, or broadcast variety — the button farcy. 
Now, should the attack be farcy, the probability is, from its being a 
general one, that the animal will show signs of ill health at the time, 
whereas a horse that has * broken out in a surfeit all over his body,' 
is commonly in unusually good, what is termed fine condition. 
Then, again, surfeit lumps are often large and irregular in form, and 
frequently appear in patches; whereas the buds of button farcy are 
small, and regularly spheroid in shape, and spread pretty uniformly 
over the body. Again, surfeit eruptions are often but of an hour 
or two continuance. Rarely are they visible on the following day. 
Any doubt, therefore, that may impend over the case, is not likely 
to be of lengthened duration." 

The causes of farcy exist in any thing that deranges the lym- 
phatic system ; and probably the same causes that operate, either 
by contagion, or otherwise, to produce glanders, will produce 
farcy. " By innoculation, farcy has been produced by the matter of 
glanders, and glanders by the matter of farcy : and, consequently, 
there is every reason to infer a similarity, or rather an identity in 
the viruses of the two diseases ; and in further proof of this, as w^e 
said before, one disease, or form of disease, almost invariably termi- 
nates in the other prior to dissolution. There can be no question 
but that the same contaminated or miasmatic atmosphere of the 
stable, or elsewhere, which produces glanders, may occasion farcy, 
and vice versa.^^ 

Treatment op Farcy. — The patient should be placed in a well 
ventilated stable. If, however, the season permits, a run at grass, 
in the day-time, will be preferable. Pure air, and green food com- 
bined, are almost certain to produce a favorable effect ; for pure air 
decarbonizes the blood, deprives it of those impurities which abound 
in farcy subjects, and at the same time distends the lungs to their 
normal capacity ; by which means the blood is circulated with more 
force to the extreme vessels. The green food, while its action is 
alterative, provides for the laxity of the bowels, keeps them free 
and unobstructed, and entirely dispenses with cathartic medicine ; 
the latter being generally considered necessary to clear out the bow- 
els; but in ray opinion, the *' brisk dose of cathartic medicine," so 
highly extolled by some, is calculated to produce unfivorable results, 
especially if the patient shall be in a state of debility. Any man 
who has ever been foolish enough to practice the common error of 
periodical dosing with salts and senna, castor oil, &c., can testify as 
to their prostrating effects ; but this is only an item in the catalogue 
of evils ; great pain, griping, loss of appetite, subsequent constipa- 
tion and dyspepsia, are the consequences of cathartics and purga- 



♦ Surfeit. A disease of the skin, consistinsr in an eruption of small pustules. It appears to arise 
from a diseased state of the stomach and bowels.— White. 



90 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

tion. Therefore, if the fecal accumulations can be got rid of under 
the exhibition of so safe and desirable an agent as grass, it is cer- 
tainly to be preferred to the tripe-scouring compounds of the day. 

The grass may perhaps act as a cathartic, especially if the sub- 
ject has been accustomed to corn and oats. If this should be the 
case, a sufficient quantity of dry food should be allowed to supply 
the waste of the body, and promote the living integrity ; for with- 
out, oil the light will go out^ and food is to the system what oil is to 
the light. Therefore, in such case, a liberal allowance of nutritious 
food will be indicated. 

When green food cannot be obtained, a sort of substitute can be 
compounded, consisting of boiled carrots, beets and turnips, thick- 
ened with shorts, or fine feed, and the whole pounded up together, 
to which a tablespoonful of salt may be added. 

As regards the drink, we need only observe that pure water, in 
small quantities, is perhaps the best ; yet if the patient be in exceed- 
ingly poor condition, he may then be allowed two quarts of hay tea, 
and a pint of fresh cow's milk twice a day. 

Animals suffering from either glanders or farcy, should have a lib- 
eral supply of common salt.* A quantity should be placed in a 
situation where the animal can help himself; in addition to which 
the food should be salted. 

Medicines. — These must possess the following properties : 

1. Antiseptic. To preserve the system from putrescence. The 
principal one is pyroligneous acid ; dose, one ounce twice a day, in 
a pint of sage tea. 

2. Alterative. To change morbid action ; the following is an 
example ; 

Phosphate of Lime 1 ounce. 

Powdered Sarsaparilla, ) ^j. ^^^^ 5 

" bassairas, j 

" Asafoetida 1 " 

Mix, and divide into twenty-four powders ; one to be given, night 
and morning, in thin gruel. 

3. /Stimulant. To arouse vital action ; the chief are capsicum 

* Saline matters are essential constituents of the blood, of the organized tissues, and of the secre- 
tions. They are, therefore, necessary components of our food, for without them, health and vitality 
cannot be maintained. 

The alimentary salts, which, on account of their occurring more frequently and largely in the sys- 
tem, may be resrarded of the most importance, in a dietetical point of view, are common salt, and 
the earthy phosphates. Ferruginous compounds (salts?) and probably salts of potash, are also indis- 
pensable ingredients of our food. 

1. Gommon Salt {Chloride of Sodiuni). Though salt is a constituent of most of our foods and 
drinks, we do not, In this way, obtain a sufficient supply of it to satisfy the wants of the system ; and 
nature has accordingly furnished us with an appetite for it. The salt, therefore, which we consume 
at our table as a condiment, in reality serves other and far more important purposes in the animAl 
economy than that of merely gratifying the palate. It is a necessary article of food, being essential 
for the preservation of health, and the maintenance of life. 

It forms an essential constituent of blood, which fluid doubtless owes many of its important quali- 
ties to it. Thus it probably contributes to krep tlie blood corpuscles unchanged ; for when these are 
put into water, a powerful and rapid endosmose takes place, in consequence of which they swell up 
and assume a globular form ; whereas in a weak solution of salt they remain unchanged. _ In malig- 
nant cholera, and some other diseases in which there is a deficiency in the saline ingredients of the 
blood, this fluid has a very dark, or even black appearance; whence it has been assumed by some 
writers that the red color of the blood i.^ dependent on the presence of its saline ingredients. From 
the salt of the blood, aided by water, the gastric juice derives its hydrochloric acid, and the blood 
and the bile their soda. The soda which exists in the blood, in combination with albumen, passes out 
of the system in union with organic matter, represented by chloric acid. In other words, 
bile contains the elements of cldorate of soda, though not necessarily arranged as such. Lastly 
"the soda" whichhasbeen used in the vital processes, and any excess of soda, must be expelled in 
the form of salt, after being separated fiom the blood by the kidney.— ZieW^- 



u 



PECtJLlAE TO HORSES. 91 

and ginger. The author has used the following preparation with 
considerable success : 

Iodine (reduced to powder) 4 scruples. 

' Proof Spirit. 4 ounces. 

Tincture of Capsicum, or Ginger 6 " 

Dose, one ounce, twice a day, in thin gruel. 
Another : 

Hydriodate of Potass 20 grains. 

^ Dissolve in a pint of water ; then add one ounce of tincture of 
ginger. To be repeated daily. 

Such are the remedies on which our hopes of cure are to be 
founded. They are not to be given conjointly, but separately, as the 
various stages of the disease indicate. 

Should the horse's hind limbs be enormously swollen, so that he 
cannot move about without inconvenience and pain, then the follow- 
ing drench must be administered : 

Powdered Socotrine Aloes 4 drachms. 

Tincture of Gentian 4 " 

Sweet Spirits of Nitre 3 « 

Syrup of Garlic 1 ounce. 

Flour Gruel 1 pint. 

Mix. 

It will probably not be necessary to repeat this dose. In fact, we*' 
should not recommend the aloes, were it not that the horse is now 
unable to seek an equivalent in the pasture, and the grave nature of 
the case calls for some agent capable of producing a change in the 
system, diverting the fluid (which is now accumulating in the cellu- 
lar tissues of the limbs) from the parts to the central membranes. 
Lest we may not be understood by the reader (non-professional), we 
remark, that aloes act as a mechanical irritant on the alimentary sur- 
faces, and a copious secretion of fluid from those surfaces always fol- 
lows the exhibition of drastic medicine. 

The swollen, hot, and tense state of the limb calls for some local 
application. We therefore first wash the parts with a weak ley of 
saleratus, and afterwards apply astringents, composed of a strong 
infusion of one of the following articles: Bayberry, white oak, nuS 
galls, gum catechu. Bandages moistened with equal parts of vine- 
gar and water, form a good evaporating, cooling lotion, when pain 
and inflammation are^ evident. Yet, after all, voluntary exercise, 
such as the animal will take while procuring food in the pasture, 
will generally have a better efiect on a tumefied limb than all the 
local applications we can make. 

The local treatment of farcy buds is a matter of importance; for 
the discharge from them is sometimes so corrosive, irritating, that it 
destroys the surrounding skin and sub-cellular parts. White, and 
some other writers, recommend the most destructive poisons as topi- 
cal applications, such as corrosive sublimate, muriatic acid, lunar 
caustic, red precipitate — in eff'ect, no doubt, setting up a worse dis- 
ease than the one already present. In such articles we have no 
faith. On the contrary, we consider them first-rate poisons, capable 
of altering, and, in a great majority of cases, destroying one or 



92 TEEATMENT OF DISEASES 

more of the functions necessary to the support of life. The follow- 
ing will form the best local application we know of: 

Pyroligneous Acid 1 pint. 

Tincture of Blood-root 1 gill. 

Linseed Oil i " 

Mix, and wet the farcy buds with it morning and evening. 



SPLENT— ITS NATURE, CAUSE AND TREATMENT. 

The term Splent, or spUnt, as it is sometimes called, is derived 
from the Italian word spinella, a splint — a name properly belonging 
to those small bones, at the posterior parts of the cannons, known, in 
the fore, as small metacarpal^ and on the hind extremities asmetatar- 
sal ; they being considered by some persons, as splinters of the main 
or cannon bones. The name of the bone is, therefore, erroneously 
transferred to the disease, the proper name of which should be ex- 
ostosis, (a morbid enlargement or tumor of bone.) The splent bones 
answer a useful purpose in the animal economy ; — they are designed 
to receive a portion of the weight of the body, and aid the cartil- 
ages of the knee in guarding against concussion. They are united to 
the cannon by a fibrous cartilage, which admits of slight motion, 
upwards and downwards ; in the disease called splent, the articulat- 
ing cartilages become ossified, (changed into bone,) the function of 
the part is destroyed, and all motion, or elasticity, ceases. As no 
hopes can ever be entertained of changing bone into soft tissue, we 
may, without fear of contradiction, assert that 8plent is incurable. 

Cause of Splent. — Overworking a horse, or hard galloping, by 
which any undue or sudden pressure is brought to bear on the splent 
bones, whereby the fibrous cartilage is stretched, strained, or lacerat- 
ed, so as to produce inflammatory action, and subsequent osseous 
effusion, may be regarded as exciting causes. Trotting young colts 
by the side of their mothers, and imposing on them heavy burthens 
at too lender an age, are practices, considered operative in produc- 
ing this mischief Mr. Percival, the best authority on this subject, 
writes: " Over- work, over-action, at a tender age, is the ordinary 
cause of Splent. In the anxiety there is to bring young horses into 
use, in the precocious practice of breaking, &c., we cannot feel sur- 
prised at unperfected parts giving way, or being reconstructed in a 
different manner from the original design. Nature is forced beyond 
her powers, and finding that the soft and elastic material, placed for 
a certain wise purpose between the splent and cannon bones, insuf- 
ficient against weight and force, osseous material is substituted for 
it. Even before breaking or using the colt commences, the mis- 
chief may be perpetrated. A gallop, jump, or gambol, in the field, 
or yard, may occasion a Splent. Again, a blow, or other external 
injury, may produce a Splent, though this is comparatively a rare case. 
To whatever cause, however, it be referable, the fact is notorious 
enough, that hardly any horse completes his fifth year without Splent, 
latent or demonstrable." 

So far as regards American horses, the disease is far from being uni- 



PECIJLIAB TO HOESES. " 93 

versal, and this may "be owing to the difference in our roads, which, 
contemplated as a whole, are more easy for travel, than those of Eng- 
land. Still we have enough cases of this disease among American 
horses, to excite our attention. 

Does Splent constitute unsoundness ? I think not ; because it is 
seldom associated with perceptible lameness, and so long as the 
horse can perform the duties of an ordinary horse, he is sound to all 
intents and purposes. I never knew lameness to arise from this dis- 
ease. Should Splent, however, extend in an upward direction, and 
involve the knee bones, it must then occasion lameness. 

The author just quoted sustains this opinion. He remarks: 
"There is an old notion very prevalent among unprofessional 
people, that splent often lames horses; and to the groom who thinks 
so, or to the veterinary surgeon, who prevails upon himself to believe 
so, such a doctrine is often very acceptable and opportune, inasmuch 
as it serves to help him out of any embarrassment he may feel, to 
say for certain, where the horses' lameness is located. Young prac- 
titioners ought to be extremely wary how they pronounce a horse 
lame from Splent. They must never venture to do so, without un- 
questionable evidence that such is really the case. 

Treatment of Splent. — When the Splent first makes its appear- 
ance, our object should be to lessen inflammatory action, and thus 
limit its development. Supposing it to arise from strain or overwork, 
rest, cold water, refrigerating lotions, and bandage, are the most 
rational means. Should it really occasion lameness, no bettercourse 
can be pursued ; therefore, we are justified in resorting to it. 

If the tumor becomes very large, so as to be, not only an eye-sore, 
but also interfere with the action of the limb, an operation must 
be resorted to, which can only be performed by a medical man. But 
the reader must bear in mind that Splent cannot be cured ; yet the 
horse may be relieved of the lameness. 



SPAYIlSr — ITS NATURE, CAUSE, SYMPTOMS AND 

TREATMENT. 

There is a sort of irregular, or incomplete spavin, which may exist 
without accompanying lameness. It is found just beneath the bones 
composing the hock, in the form of a knotty tumor, technically called 
exostosis ; in common language, a ^^Jack.^'' In such case the mech- 
anism of the joint is not involved, hence, absence of lameness. But 
the animal may from overwork, or sprain, become lame in a joint re- 
mote from this; the owner or attendant not possessing the requisite 
skill to discover the precise seat, finds a tumor at the point indicated, 
and immediately pronounces the horse spavined, and this serves as 
an excuse for adding to the poor brute's sufferings the torture of fire ; 
during the rest which necessarily follows the application of the same, 
the original lameness disappears, and this furnishes an illustration of 
one of the boasted cures of spavin, which disease in reality never 
existed. 

Nature op Spayin. — In order to comprehend this, the reader 



94 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

Bhould know, that the joints of the hock are composed of several 
bones, two of which form the joint proper, the remainder, eight in 
number, are concerned in the articulation and composition of the 
same. Between each bone is inserted a cartilaginous cushion for the 
purpose of warding off concussion, and thus preventing injury to the 
bones, which would otherwise occur. These bones have all their 
proper capsular membranes, which separate one from the other, mak- 
ing tliem distinctive points. A synovial membrane pervading the 
whole, furnishes sy?iouia, [^^ joint oiV^) which successfully guards 
against friction. 

Spavin generally originates in inflammation of the periosteal tis- 
sues^ (membranes proper to all bones — their external covering,) or 
else, in the ligamentary, or cartilaginous structures, contiguous, or 
within the joints. A high grade of inflammatory action, pervading 
for some time, causes absorption of the cartilages between the small 
bones, they become consolidated and immovable. This cartilage 
being changed into bone, cannot possibly be restored, and is there- 
fore incurable. 

Spavin having, in this manner, an internal origin, is not percepti- 
ble ; consequently, some persons are unwilling to admit its existence 
until they can both see and feel it. If it shall commence externally^ 
(on the inside of the hock) in the form of encrustation, termed exoS' 
tosis, which is very often the case, all doubt is at an end. In plain lan- 
guage, spavin consists in a loss of motion, between parts that were 
once movable, and may exist with or without bony tumor. 

If a student were asked the question. What constitutes a spavin ? 
he would answer, " Anchylosis and exostosis of the tarsal (hock) 
bones." Ask him if it can be cured, and he utters a decided "No." 
He only mitigates the lameness. 

The malady is similar to that occurring among children, known as 
hip disease^ when the head of the thigh bone unites to the pelvis ; 
and no one pretends, at least never succeeds, in effecting a radical 
cure. But, as regards the horse, the disease is more complicated, 
because a greater number of bones are involved ; yet in effect, the 
disease is less serious, because it does not prevent flexion and exten- 
sion of the joint proper. 

In a very brief manner I have now considered the pathology or 
nature of spavin, much interesting matter (and really valuable to 
students) is necessarily omitted, in order to render the article brief 
as possible. 

Cause of Spavin. — Its pathology demonstrates inflammation of 
one or more tissues proper to the point, which is produced by over- 
work, sprain or concussion ; the tumor and transformation of the car- 
tilages into bony substances, always being preceded by lameness, 
indicates injuries of this character, yet they are not in all cases op- 
erative ; for some of our truck horses, especially those used in shafts, 
are often compelled to perform extraordinary feats of strength, that 
would in ordinary horses induce ligamentary lameness, ultimately 
resulting in spavin, yet they are remarkably free from it ; the reason 
is, they are free from predisposition. 

It is a fact, well known to the profession, that many spavined 
horses labor under either local or constitutional predisposition. 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 95 



Local predisposition is determined by a short-pointed hock, 
lengthy cannonU^^^ ^^P^'ig^^t pasterns This is the kind of hock 
that is most subject to strain, in backing heavy loads, and concussion, 
while jrallopino:, or trotting fast on hard pavements. 

Constitutional predisposition exists m 5r.6 J, and is inherited 
from Hire or dam. A spavined mare transmits the disease of which 
we have evidence in colts that have never been hrohe. But m the 
maioritv of cases, spavins are indirectly transmitted m the form of 
Tweak, frai^ile, bony structure, which is prone to throw out osseous 
(bonv) effusion. Such animals are often termed overgrown, from 
the fict that their frames have outgrown their strength ; consequent- 
Iv they are unable to bear heavy burthens, without strain or injury 
to the joints The bones of horses predisposed to ossific^ efusion, in 
the form of sp>avin, splint ^nd. ringbone, are remarkably light, porous 
and brittle; Ind on inspecting the same, we wonder how they have 
suDDorted even the carcass of the animal. , , ^ , ^ 

The reader has probably noticed in cattle large bony tumors under 
the iaw, called osteosarcoma, which finally end in caries, (<^leath of 
the bone,) and others, located on the hock and on various par s o the 
shaft bones ; these appearing without any apparent cause, illustrate 
what I meaA by ossific diathesis, or constitutional predisposition 

We may safely conclude, therefore, that spavm originates from 
predisposing and exciting causes, acting conjointly, or otherwise. 

Symptoms of SPAvm.-These vary according to the nature and 
intensity of the attack; yet there are some, always present, so that 
a man o^f ordinary obsmwation can readily discover the sea. of the 

^^ Th^T^Vs^ is, heat and tenderness on the inside of the hock. 

Secondly. Lability to flex the hock with perfect freedom, the act 
beinTaccompanied with a sort of - catching up r or sprmg-halt 
motiSn. Spring-halt is a remarkable feature of spavin, and it has 
been noticed by several writers, Shakspeare, for example, thus 

refers to it : 

" One would take it, 
Tbat never saw them pace before, the spavin 
And spring-halt reigned among 'em." 
Thirdhi The animal starts stiff and lame, ''planting'" his toe on 
the ground, rather than the heels; he improves, however, after a 

^"^""Foulmu. The above symptoms connected with a tumor on the 
inside of a hock, in the /egion of the small ^ar.a bones, exclude 
aTdoubt. Yet the tumor, as I have just observed, is not necessary 
to make out a case of what is technically called vnter-articular 
spavin. 

Tbeatmeot of Sfx^m.-Nomanean possibly succeed in airing 
smvin We may palliate-relieve lameness-and hasten anchylosis 
S^;int:) and^ilnder the .abject useful for certam purposes birt 
tVere will always exist a certain amount of stiffness about the jomt 
Xch is considered unsoundness, and a hard trot will often induce 

''in::UlZ::Z spavin, we borrow an illustration from Nature 
-the best and wisest of doctors-she strengthens a weak jomt, by 



96 TEEATMENT OF DISEASES 

making it solid and unyielding, and this must be our object in its 
treatment. 

Medical men always have this object in view, viz., to produce 
anchylosis, to hasten ossific effusion, and render the sensitive tissues 
insensible. 

In the early or inflammatory stage, rest, and cooling lotions are 
indicated. In the latter stage, counter irritants, such as prepara- 
tions of cantharides, &c., are generally resorted to. 

The reader, if he be in any way interested in the welfare of 
"livestock," will probably appreciate the value of correct informa- 
tion regarding the nature and cause of the disease. For in the first 
place, it aims a death blow at ignorance, quackery, and cruelty, 
practiced very frequently under the guise of science ; between 
which, however, there exists less affinity than between oil and 
water. 

In the next place, it enables him to adopt preventives, by which the 
chances of disease are lessened. 

It teaches him that physical defects are as certainly transmitted 
as good points, and although bad qualities are not always directly/ 
transmitted, yet the day of reckoning appears in a future generation, 
just as surely as like begets like. 

The most popular remedy, now in use, for the treatment of Spavin, 
is the acetate of cantharides. The American Magnetic Liniment, 
manufactured by Messrs. Lord & Smith, of this city, is also a very 
excellent remedy for the treatment of both Splent and Spavin. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 

Symptoms. — The animal is feverish, his pulse is quick ; he strains 
when urinating, has a straddling gait, and the urine is high colored, 
sometimes tinged with blood ; when slight pressure is made over the 
region of the kidneys, the animal manifests symptoms of pain. 

Trea-tment. — Feed the patient lightly, and give him one wine- 
glass full of fluid extract of buchu, night and morning. 



ELEMATURIA, OR BLOODY URINE. 

This disease proceeds from a disease located in the mucous mem- 
brane of the kidneys and urinary passage. Occasionally the dis- 
ease results from plethora, but is often brought on by the action of 
diuretics. 

Treatment. — Give the patient twice, daily, a wine-glass of fluid 
extract of buchu, in a pint of infusion of slippery elm. 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 9^ 

SUPPRESSION OF URIlsTE. 

Suppression of the urine is often the result of spasm of the urethra, 
and usually disappears soon after the exhibition of the following : 

Sweet Spirits of Nitre 1^ ounces. 

Powdered Gum Asafoetida 2 drachms. 

Syrup 2 ounces. 

Mix ; and drench the patient with the same. The dose may be 
repeated at the expiration of one hour, if necessary. 

In cases of flatulent and spasmodic colic, the animal is often una- 
ble to urinate. In this event, the catlieter should be introduced, and 
the urine drawn off. 

Enemas of warm water thrown into the rectum, often tend to 
relax spasm, and favor the evacuation of the accumulated urine. 



DIABETES, OR PROFUSE DISCHARGE OF URINE. 

In this affection it will be noticed that the horse passes a va s 
quantity of urine, out of all proportion to the quantity of water 
drank ; the stall floor is continually wet, and the animal is usually 
very thirsty. The cause of this disease, in the horse, is rather 
obscure. 

Tkeatment. — Give the patient one wine-glassfull of fluid extract 
of buchu, and to each dose add ten grains of iodide of potass. 
Some change in diet will be necessary, and it should be of the very 
best quality. I sometimes use fluid extract of styllingia instead of 
buchu 

I find that carrots have a very good effect on animals suffering 
from diabetes. 



ALBUMINOUS URINE. 

In a disease of this character the urine is loaded with albumen, is 
thick and clear, and if a portion of it be submitted to the action of 
heat, it coagulates like the white of an egg. 

Treatment. — Prepare the following ; 

Fluid Extract of Buchu 8 ounces. 

Chlorate of Potass 1 " 

Tincture of Sassafras Bark 4 " 

Mix. Dose : one ounce night and morning. 



THICK AND TURBID URINE. 

It is often noticed that horses pass urine of a thick and turbid 
character. This is occasioned by a morbid condition of the body, 
and is sometimes an effort on the part of nature to rid the system of 
morbilc material. 



98 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

The discharge of morbid urine generally tends to the restoration 
of health, and the treatment necessary is, to give the patient some 
medicme of an alterative and tonic character. The following is an 
example : 

Powdered Golden Seal 4 ounces. 

Iodide of Potass .... 2 " 

Powdered Poplar Bark 6 " 

Mix. Divide into twelve parts, and give one every night in the. 
food, or in a bran mash. 

If the above medicine cannot be obtained, the American Magnetic 
Horse Powders may be substituted. (See last page). 



NAVICULAR DISEASE. 

Navicular disease consists of deep-seated injury within the hoof, 
often involving the navicular or shuttle bone. The injury may arise 
from sprain, contraction of posterior walls of the hoof, from puncture 
of the sole, from an ulcerated state of the bone, and may be the 
sequel of laminitis. 

The principal symptoms of navicular disease are, acute lameness; 
the foot is pointed forward when the animal is at rest; and when 
traveling he takes short steps, and is unsteady in his gait. 

Treatment. — Should the hoof be contracted, the quarters are to 
be rasped quite' thin, so as to remove the pressure from the sensitive 
parts. The following preparation is then to be applied to the heel* 
until they are well blistered : 

Powdered Spanish Flies 4 drachms. 

Raw Linseed Oil 6 ounces. 

Mix. Apply by means of a sponge, and keep the hoof lubricated 
* V^VitJi neatsfoot oil. 

It must be remembered, however, that the blister is not to be 
applied to the heel until the inflammatory process has subsided ; 
while there is perceptible heat and fever in the foot it must be bathed 
often with cold water. 

A horse lame from navicular disease must be excused from duty, 
and it may take many months to restore the animal to usefulness. 



TO PROTECT ANIMALS AGAINST THE TORTURE OF 
FLIES AND INSECTS. 

Walnut Leaves 4 ounces. 

Lobelia Leaves 4 " 

Boiling Water 1 gallon. 

Let the mixture stand until cool ; then express the fluid through 
cotton cloth, and add four ounces of the tincture of aloes. 

Directions. Apply a small quantity of this compound, daily, to 
the surface of the body, by means of a sponge. 



PECULIAK TO HOUSES. 99 

ANTIDOTE FOR THE BITE OR STING OF VENOMOUS 

REPTILES. 

Plantain Leaves {plantago major) 4 ounces. 

Lobelia Leaves 2 " 

Boiling Water 1 quart. 

Directions. When the mixture becomes cool, bind a quantity of 
the herb on the affected part, and give the animal, as a drench, four 
or five ounces of the remaining fluid, every four hours. 



THE ENDURANCE OF HORSES. 

Some curious experiments have been made at the Veterinary 
School at Alfort, by order of the Minister of War, to ascertain the 
endurance of horses — as in a beseiged town, for example. It appears 
that a horse will live on water alone twenty-five days ; seventeen 
days without eating or drinking; only five days, if fed but unwa- 
tered; ten days if fed but insufficiently watered. A horse kept 
without water for three days, drank 104 pounds of w^ater in three 
minutes. It was found, too, that a horse taken after being fed and 
kept in the active exercise of the " squadron school," completely 
digested its "feed" in three hours; in the same time at the "con- 
script's school," its food was two-thirds digested; and if kept per- 
fectly quiet in a stable, digestion was scarcely commenced in three 
hours. 



SPRAIN OF THE FETLOCK. 

This is a very formidable lameness, and also a very painful one, 
and when a horse becomes the subject of it he should be immedi- 
ately excused from duty, for every movement of the parts only ag- 
gravates the difficulty. I have found the following liniment to be of 
great value in the treatment of all recent sprains : 

Olive Oil 1 pint. 

Gum Camphor 2 ounces. 

Laudanum 1 " 

Sulphuric ^ther 4 " 

Dissolve the camphor in the jether, then add the oil, and lastly the 
laudanum. 

In some cases Of severe sprain of the pastern, or fetlock, I have 
known cold water bandages to have a very marked effect in moder- 
ating the pain and inflammation of the parts. 



TO RELIEVE MUSCULAR PAIN IN HORSES. 

The datura stramonium^ or thorn apple plant, is a very excellent 
remedy, as an external application, for the treatment of muscular 



100 TREATMENT" OF DISEASES 

pain, ligamentary lameness, sprain of the fetlock, &c. It is a rem- 
edy of great efficacy in chronic pains and inflammatory tumors. 
Fom- ounces of the plant to one pint of boiling water, are the pro- 
portions. When cool, the parts are to be bathed often ; when prac- 
ticable, a flannel is to be saturated with the fluid and bound on the 
affected ^^arts ; the whole to be covered with oiled silk. 



HORSES SHOULD BE EXERCISED DAILY. 

Horses require daily exercise in the open air, and can no more be 
expected to exist without it than their owners. Exercise is an essen- 
tial feature in stable management, and, like well-opportuned food, 
tends alike to preserve the health of horses. 

Daily exercise is necessary for all horses, unless they are sick ; it 
assists and promotes a free circulation of the blood, determines mor- 
bific matter to the surface, develops the muscular structure, creates 
an appetite, improves the wind, and finally invigorates the whole 
system. We cannot expect much of a horse that has not been habit- 
uated to sufficient daily exercise ; while such as have been daily 
exercised, and well managed, are capable not only of great exertion 
and fatigue, but are ready and walling to do our bidding at any sea- 
son. When an animal is over-worked, it renders the system very 
susceptible to whatever morbid influences ma}'' be present, and im- 
parts to the disease they may labor under, an unusual degree of 
severity. The exhaustion produced by want of rest is equally dan- 
gerous ; such horses are always among the first victims of disease, 
and when attacked their treatment is embarrassing and unsatisfactory. 



VALUE OF CARROTS. 

Carrots are very excellent ^^ fodder''' for horses that have been long 
kept on highly carbonaceous food, and whose digestive organs may 
be out of order in consequence of their constant activity in reducing 
meal and oats into the elements of animal nutrition. With a fair 
allow^ance of carrots, ground oats, and sweet hay, a horse will enjoy 
good health and spirits, have a loose hide, shining coat, and healthy 
lungs. A daily allowance of carrots should always be furnished 
to horses, the subjects of indigestion ; whose food often runs 
into fermentation, inducing diarrhoea, or a lax, washy state of the 
bowels. Carrots furnish an acid called 2^6ctiCj which possesses the 
curious property of gelatinizing the watery contents of the digestive 
cavities. A few drops of this pectic acid will gelatinize both, and 
when mixed with the juice of an orange, changes the same into jelly. 
So that if the alvine discharges of a horse are watery, carrots can 
be used as a valuable therapeutic agent, both in view of arresting 
the same and restoring the tone of the stomach and bowels. By ex- 
amining the excrement of a horse, fed in part on carrots, it W'ill be 
found to contain no undigested hay nor oats, and therefore we may 
safely infer that they promote digestion, so that by the constant use 
of carrots, less quantities of hay and oats will suffice than when a 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 101 

larger amount is consumed, and parted with, in an undigested state. 
For fattening animals, carrots are exceedingly valuable. It will be 
urged that carrots are not very nutritious — that may be ; still, if 
they possess the property of gelatinizing the contents of the stomach 
and bowels, they aid in the manufacture of fat out of other food, 
which might otherwise pass out of the system. 

It is said that the milk of a cow in mid-winter, fed on carrots, is 
equal in flavor to that supplied from clover in summer, while the 
butter made from such milk presents a rich orange color, and does 
not taste, as some persons suppose, of the peculiar flavor of this veg- 
etable. Two bushels of oats and one of carrots is better food for a 
horse than three bushels of oats without carrots, and when the ani- 
mal is used for light work only, the quantity of carrots may be 
increased. 

The reader must bear in mind, however, that animals, like our- 
selves, have their peculiar idiosyncracies or susceptibilities — ^" what 
is one man's food is another's poison" — and some might digest, and 
thrive amazingly, on a given article of food, while an equal number 
shall lose both flesh and spirits. There appears, however, to be 
less objection to the judicious use of carrots than many other veg- 
etables, both as regards horses and cattle. 

If the reader happen to have what is termed a "s^'aZ^fed horse, 
and the same shall be the subject of heaves^^'' (sometimes a symptom 
of indigestion, only), let them take away the fine meal and substitute 
carrots, and, my word for it, the horse will improve. 



ON THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE LIVER 
OF THE HORSE — ITS DISEASES, &c. 

The liver of the horse is situated between the stomach and dia- 
phragm, in what is known to anatomists as the epigastric and hypo- 
chondriac regions; it is confined in this situation by means of what 
are term.ed its ligaments, which are chronicled as five in number. 
Anatomically divided, the liver is convex on its front or anterior sur- 
face, concave on its back, or posterior, and has clefts which divide 
it into three lobes of unequal size. 

The chief mass of the liver is made up of cells, like many other 
parts of the body ; and these cells are placed in the vicinity of the 
terminations of the portal veins, from whence the former derive their 
blood. 

The liver has a covering, common to all the organs contained in 
the cavity of the abdomen, known as the peritoneum, a beautifully 
transparent membrane ; it plays an important function in the animal 
economy, inasmuch as it furnishes the means necessary to guard 
against friction, which would otherwise occur, to the utter ruin of 
the contiguous parts. 

It was formerly supposed that the function of the liver was merely 
to eliminate bile from the venous blood, and thus it received the 
appellation purifier — a purifying organ — but modern physiologists 
have discovered that the blood itself is materially changed during 
its circulation through the vessels of the liver ; for example, the liver 



102 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

elaborates febrine from albumen, and fat from sugar, and sugar from 
fat. The fact in relation to these agents, sugar and fat, is, they do 
not materially differ in their chemical composition, only that one con- 
tains a little more oxygen than the other ; and, from satisfactory 
data, we are led to infer that the liver occasionally stores up fatty 
matter, or sugar, for the day of adversity, or starvation day, so that 
when the system has no other means of obtaining it the liver must 
supply it, or yield up what it contains of fatty matter. 

The circulation of the liver is a very interesting matter for the 
investigation of amateurs and inquirers. The liver, like other organs 
of the body, is supplied with arterial blood, from the great aorta, 
for its own support and nourishment, and it also receives an immense 
amount of venous blood from veins commencing in the gastro-intesti- 
nal cavities, terminating in a vessel known as the vena porta3,OY "gate 
vein." Portoe is derived from the Latin, which signifies "gate," or 
" entrance." The vena portoe^ on entering the liver, ramifies in vari- 
ous directions like the common arteries of the body, and ultimately 
terminates in veins peculiar to the liver. Ilence, it will be perceived 
that the venous blood, instead of being permitted to return directly 
from the stomach and intestines to the heart, is compelled to complete 
the circuit of circulation through the liver, and by this peculiar 
arrangement the transformations alluded to are effected. The liver, 
therefore, performs the double function of excretion and secretion y 
secretes gall or " bile," and excretes carbon and hydrogen from the 
system. 

As REGARDS THE DISEASES OF THE LivER. It Is probable that 
the liver often becomes diseased in consequence of overfeeding ; it 
is well known that the livers of men and animals can be artificially 
enlarged, by cramming either with an unnecessary amount of food ; 
favorite dishes are often prepared from the livers of geese artificially 
enlarged, by stuffing the animal with food, and at the same time con- 
fining it in a dark room without exercise. We learn that under such 
barbarous management there is a disproportion between the oxygen 
respired in the lungs, and the carbon introduced into the system in 
the form of food. An excess of carbonaceous material in the sys- 
tem of man or horse, is apt to affect the integrity of the liver and 
develop the condition known as jaundice, and this cause is more 
certainly operative in the systems of animals of the bilious tempera- 
ment. 

Jaundice, as it occurs among horses, is usuall)'- a functional disor- 
der, yet should it remain unrelieved for some lapse of time, and the 
same errors of diet and management be continued, the chances are 
in favor of its ending in structural disease. Occasionally the bile 
thickens and accumulates in its ducts, and leads to the formation of 
gall stones, Avhich finally occasion the death of the subject. 

The principal symptoms of liver disease are a yellow tinge of the 
visible surfaces ; languid pulse ; dull, sleepy appearance ; urine high- 
colored ; excreaient dark-colored ; bowels constipated, &c. &c. 

Common salt is a valuable agent in preventing bilious diseases, for 
salt undergoes oxydation in the system and forms soda, and this soda 
is employed in the formation of bile. Bile consists of carbon, hy- 
drogen and soda ; its carbon and hydrogen are the carbon and 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 103 

hydrogen that are thrown, as waste material, mto the blood by the 
destruction or decomposition of textures containing these elements. 
The waste carbon, and a considerable portion of the waste hydrogen 
of the body, are separated by the liver from the returning venous 
blood, and are then thrown out into the bowels in the form of bile. 

Bile can be converted into a sort of soap by the addition of soda, 
which fact indicates that we should use soda, or salt, in the treat- 
ment of liver diseases. The reader is probably aware that common 
salt is nothing more than soda combined with chlorine, and that soap 
is merely oil mingled with potass or soda. 

Salt is considered as a specific for " rot" in sheep. The disease 
known as rot^ originates in a diseased condition of the liver, which 
gives origin to parasites known as flukes (distoma hepaticum)^ hence 
it is good policy for sheep raisers to see that their flocks have free 
access to salt. 

Very many unnecessary cases of liver disease, and premature 
deaths, in consequence, are constantly occurring, w^hich may often 
bo traced to errors in diet, therefore I advise all persons having 
charge of domestic animals, not to over-feed. This part of the 
United States in which I am now located is the great corn-bin of the 
country, and there is great danger of men (who love to see their 
animals in good condition), dipping their hands too deep into the 
pile of corn, to the sure and certain ruin of many fine specimens of 
the horse kind. 

Gall Bladder. I presume that most of my readers are acquainted 
with the fact that the liver of the horse is destitute of a gall bladder; 
yet on the upper and inner edge of the right lobe is a small duct, 
just large enough to admit of the introduction of a common sized 
pencil ; this duct receives many small ducts from tubes from the 
interior of the liver, and through them the bile finds its way into the 
main duct, and from thence into the duodenum. 

Treatment of Functional Disease of the Liver. — The indi- 
cations to be fulfilled, in the treatment of this afifection, are to admin- 
ister agents which are likely to have a tonic and alterative eflfect, 
and in this view I recommend the following: 

Podophyllum Peltatura 1 ounce. 

Carbonate of Soda i " 

Chloride of Sodium 1 " 

Goldenseal 1 " 

Mix. Divide into 8 parts, and give one night and morning. 



ON THE MODES OF PERFORMING OPERATIONS. 

Securing the Horse. — In performing most of the minor opera- 
vions on horses, the Rarey strap on one fore leg, and a twitch on the 
nose, are the means needed to insure submission. Sometimes, how- 
ever, when performing operations about the region of the throat, 
and the patient being unruly, it will be necessary to blindfold him, 
so that if he should strike with the fore feet he cannot take aim ; 
in this way the operator may escape a very severe blow. 



104 TEEATMENT OF DISEASES 

In some more important operations the side line is resorted to ; 
it is applicable when nicking or docking a horse, that is disposed to 
strike behind. The side line consists in passing a hobble around 
the pastern of one hind leg, and then carrying from a loop around 
the neck the end of a rope, which is passed through the iron ring of 
the hobble, and then back to the loop where it is secured ; this, 
when properly secured, prevents the horse fi-om kicking; sometimes 
both hind legs are secured in this way. When castrating, or per- 
forming any very important operation, the horse should be cast ; 
some persons prefer to cast after the fashion of Rarey, and then se- 
cure the animal's legs when down. My plan is, to cast by means of 
plain and simple hobbles, one of which is buckled to each leg, 
below the fetlock ; the rope is then rove through all the rings, and 
the ring through which the end of the rope comes last, is called the 
7nai?i hobble^ and into it, the clasp end of the rope is to be inserted ; 
a couple of persons pull on the rope which approximates the limbs, 
bring them under the centre of gravity, when a slight push will 
throw the horse on his side. 

The surgeon is assisted much, when performing any important 
operation, by ^etherizing the animal ; this renders him insensible to 
pain, and he lies on the floor as tranquil as if he were asleep. 

OPEKATIONS. 

Castration. — In the United States are a great number of persons 
who, from long practice, have made themselves quite competent 
in the performance of this operation, and, consequently, where the 
services of such persons are to be obtained, the veterinary surgeon 
is not often called upon. The most safe and successful method ever 
practiced in this country, is by means of the caustic clams or clamps, 
which are applied to the spermatic cord. The caustic lodges in a 
groove cut in the centre of the internal surface of the clams. The 
clams may be made of different kinds of wood, but it is said 
the ** elder'''' wood is most preferable, as it already contains a groove, 
and is quite light when compared with harder wood. The caustic 
used in my practice, of late, is composed of one drachm of red pre- 
cipitate, half a drachm of corrosive sublimate, and one ounce of 
simple ointment ; these are to be well mixed ; then fill up the groove 
in the wood with the same, and it is fit for use. 

When the clams are applied to the spermatic cord, they should be 
brought together by means of pincers or screw forceps, so as to 
secure complete pressure on the arteries and thus prevent after 
bleeding. The clams may be removed about sixteen or twenty 
hours after the operation. 

When it is suspected that the animal has, or may, become 
the subject of scrotal hernia, the covered operation is to be 
performed, then the clam is placed outside the external peritoneal 
covering of the cord. 

Mr. Goodin, a celebrated castrator, always performed the covered 
operation. 

I have often performed the operation by placing a ligature around 
the cord, but I think that it is rather more painful than to apply the 
clams. 



PECULIAK TO HORSES. 105 

Operation for Stone in the Bladder. — This operation, known 
as lithotomy, is usually performed on the male by making an incision 
into the urethra. We lirst introduce a whalebone staff or urethral 
catheter in the ordinary way by the penis ; when the point of it can 
be felt, just beneath the lower margin of the anus, an incision is 
made right into the urethra ; this opening must be enlarged so as to 
admit the lithotomy forceps, and allow the stone to be extracted ; 
the operator now introduces the forceps into the bladder, seizes the 
stone and extracts it j the incision is then brought together by a few 
stitches. 

Tracheotomy. — Traoheotomy consists in making an incision into 
the windpipe ; the place selected for the operation is from seven to 
ten inches beneath the throat. In performing the operation an in- 
cision is to be made through the skin right down upon the windpipe, 
then slit open the windpipe to the extent of two inches, and insert 
the tracheotomy tube ; should the instrument not be at hand, insert 
a piece of India rubber tubing until a bent tube can be obtained. 
Some surgeons prefer to dissect a circular piece of cartilage, which 
must correspond to the calibre of the tube. I have performed in 
both ways and have no preference. 

It is necessary to perform the operation when the danger of suf- 
focation becomes imminent, either from the presence of tumors in 
strangles, obstructions within the larynx, spasm of the larynx, 
and sometimes when an unswallowed substance remains in the 
oesophagus and threatens to choke the animal; although in the 
latter case it may be more prudent to open the oesophagus, or 
gullet. 

CEsoPHAGOTOMY. — This operation consists of an incision through 
the skin and gullet, on the left side of the neck. It is usually per- 
formed when a large quantity of food obtains a lodgment in the 
(Esophagus. The mode is to operate, or cut down, upon the centre 
of the impacted food and remove it; after sponging the parts with 
warm water, bring the edges together by means of sutures, then 
wipe the parts dry, sprinkle with flour, and dress with collodion. 

After an operation of this kind, the patient should be sparingly 
fed on sloppy food. 

Neurotomy. — This operation consists in a division of the sentient 
nerves of the foot ; there are two modes practiced in performing it. 
In one case the metacarpal nerves above the fetlock are divided — 
this is called the high operation ; in the other, the nerves beneath 
the fetlock are the seat of the incision and division, and this is called 
the low operation, which latter J believe is the most rational one. 

In performing this operation, we cast the horse and secure him ; 
one fore leg at a time is then released from the hobble, a welling or 
small rope is then placed around the hoof, and firmly held by an 
assistant. The nerve lies in close proximity with the perforatus tendon, 
which is a sure guide to its locality. The hair being shaved off at 
the precise spot, an incision through the skin and cellular tissue ex- 
poses the blood vessels and nerve ; the latter may be known by its 
whiteness. A needle or bistoury is then passed under the nerve, 



106 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

and the nerve is divided. It is customary to amputate a small piec^ 
from that part of the nerve next the foot, so as to prevent immediate 
reunion. If both feet are to be operated on, the nerve on the same 
side of the other foot may be divided ; then roll the horse over and 
operate on the other sides of the feet. 

DmsioN OF THE Flexor Tendons. — -Division of the flexor 
tendons of the fore limbs is usually performed in view of curing 
" sprung knees ;" which are often the result of contraction of the 
annular ligament, which ties down the flexor tendons jast below the 
knees, or it may be occasioned by contraction of the tendons them- 
selves. 

The tendon, or tendons, once divided, and their surfaces kept 
apart, by a mechanical contrivance appended to the toe of the shoe, 
interstitial deposits are thi'own out, and when the parts are again 
united, length has been acquired, and in some cases the animal is 
much b^nelited and his usefulness increased ; it would not be good 
policy, however, to operate on an aged horse ; it is only when the 
operation is performed on young animals that it is likely to be of 
any benefit. One or both tendons maybe divided without the least 
danger; the strong suspensory ligament inserted at the upper part 
the cannon passes down at the back part of the same, and is so dis- 
posed of at the fetlock that it is impossible for the parts to give way, 
notwithstanding the temporary loss of function of the flexors. 

When about to perform this operation, the horse should be cast, 
and secured ; then make a small incision along the inner edge of the 
flexors, about midway between the knee and fetlock, introduce a 
probe-pointed bistourie with convex edge, and by a sort of sawing 
motion, sever one or both tendons ; an assistant, however, will be 
required to keep the limb rigid while the tendons are being severed, 
or they cannot be cut without doing some injury to other parts. 

The ojDeration finished, a cold water bandage is to be applied, and 
the horse should then be allowed to rise. 

The heels should now be pared very thin, and a toe piece tacked 
on, having a projection in front, which will keep the divided edges 
of the tendons apart. 

Operation for Aneruism.— Aneurism is a pulsating tumor filled 
with the arterial blood; it usually arises from the rupture of the 
muscular coat of an artery and dilatation of its cellular covering. 
The only plan of cm'ing is to cut down upon the artery and place a 
lio^ature around it. 



'O' 



Operation for Fistula op the Parotid Duct. — A fistulous 
parotid duct signifies an unnatural outlet for the saliva se- 
creted by the parotid gland ; instead of the fluid passing into the 
mouth, it now, in consequence of a wound just below the ear, runs 
outwardly down the neck and face. The old method of treatment 
was very barbarous, the budding iron was the instrument with which 
the unfortunate creature was tortured, and it very seldom did 
much good. 

The modern treatment is more rational; it contemplates a closure 
of the fistulous opening without doing injury to the surrounding 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 107 

parts. The method is as follows : Send a steel pin through the edges 
of the orifice, and wind horse hair around it after the fashion of 
closing an orifice in the jugular vein ; having done so, keep the parts 
coated with collodion. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEART OF THE HORSE. 

The heart of a horse is a powerful and wonderful piece of mech- 
anism ; its function is of the involuntary order, so that regular con- 
tractions and expansions, or beatings occur in the normal state, with- 
out the animal being conscious of the same ; these contractions and 
expansions, however, can be modified, by means of various medici- 
nal agents which act upon the nervous system, thus producing a sort 
of mixed action — voluntary and involuntary — all medicines known 
as sedatives^ operate to depress the action of the heart, and lesser^ 
for a certain time the number of its pulsations ; while on the other 
hand, stimulants augment action, and increase the number of heats. 

The weight of the heart is about seven pounds, yet considerable 
variations in this weight will occur among the various breeds of 
horses, even at an adult age. For example: A horse having a coars^ 
and gigantic, bony, and muscular organization, will be likely to be 
in possession of a much larger heart than a compact horse of the ner- 
vous temperament, even although both shall be of the same age. 

The interior of the heart is divided into four cavities, two of 
which being in the superior and anter'ior direction, and in conse- 
quence of bearing some resemblance to the external conformation 
of the ears of a dog, are termed auricles ; the auricles^ therefore, 
should be known as the superior cavities of the heart. These cavi- 
ties are known as right and left, or rather anterior and posterior ; 
their division occurs through the intervention of their sep^wm, or 
wall of muscle, known as the septum auriculorum. 

The right auricle is the receptacle for venous blood, and three 
venous trunks terminate in it, viz., the anterior vena cava, which 
returns the venous blood from the anterior extremities, head and 
neck — next, the vena cava posterior, which returns the venous blood 
from the posterior parts, and lastly, the coronary vein ; the latter 
returns blood which has circulated through the heart itself for its 
own nourishment. A considerable quantity of dark venous blood is 
generally found in this auricle after death, and it opens into the right 
or anterior ventricle, by an aperture denominated the auric ulo- ventri- 
cular opening, yet in consequence of a valvular contrivance within 
the ventricle, the blood cannot recede into the auricle. 

Internally, the right auricle is lined by a glistening vascular mem- 
brane, having on various parts of its surface, small muscular emi- 
nences, tenned musculi peciinati ; the small cavities which occur, in 
consequence of this arrangement, are termed cul-de-sacs. The righty 
or venous ventricle, is also lined by a nicely organized membrane, 
and has beneath it several muscHilar prominences named carnm col- 
umncB which give origin to as many tendinous slips, which are known 
as chordm tendinm ; they are inserted into a fibrous membrane in the 
region of the articulo- ventricular opening, and then get the name 



108 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

(membrane incluclecl) valvuli tricuspis. The lateral contractions of 
this ventricle are aided by small tendinous cords having muscular 
origins from the wall and septum. The venous blood passes from 
this cavity into the pulmonary tissues for oxygenation, through the 
pulmonary artery, which emerges from the superior part of the ven-j 
iricle. At the commencement of the pulmonary artery are found three 
valves tevraed seini-liniar / their function is to guard against a retro- 
grade movement of the blood, so that it has no other channel than 
this which leads to the lungs. 

The left auricle has scarcely any anatomical or structural differ- 
ences from those observed in the right, although its cavity is smaller, 
and its walls are somewhat thicker than those found on th^, right. 
It receives the blood from the lungs, after purification, by means of 
the pulmonary veins, which have four openings into this cavity, two 
proceeding from the right, and two from tha left lobes. The left, or 
arterial ventricle, is the reservoir for arterial blood, which is des- 
tined to reanimate, replenish, and perpetuate the vital economy; hav- 
ing a vastly more important function to perform (which requires aug- 
mented muscular mechanism,) than its duplicate found on the right 
side, the thickness of its walls must, therefore, necessarily exceed 
those of the right ; this is found to be the case, so that the outer 
wall of this cavity is about three times as thick as that found on the 
other side, and this guide is useful to us in determining, at sight, 
after the heart is detached from the body, which is the left ventricle 
and vice versa. 

The channel of communication between the left auricle and ven- 
tricle is named, as is the case on the opposite side, auriculo-ventricu- 
lar opening ; it is furnished however with onXytwo, instead of three, 
valvular openings, termed valvula bicuspis or mitralis. 

This ventricle is one of importance for our consideration, from the 
fact that the great aorta — the plastic hose, which seldom, if ever, 
requires cobbling or repair, here originates. Its margin or outlet is 
guarded by a complete set of valves, three in iwimber, termed semi-lu- 
nar, similar to those found at the origin of the pulmonary artery. 
This ventricle is divided from the one on the opposite side by a mus- 
cular and tendinous partition, termed septum ventriculorum. 

Form, situation, and attachment of the heart. — Its form des- 
cribes that simulating a cone, having a body, base and apex / its 
base being in a superior direction, it follows, as a matter of course, 
that its apex has an inferior insertion downwards and backwards. 

Situation. — The heart lies in the region occupied by the fourth, 
fifth and sixth dorsal vertebrae, right in the central region known as 
the cavity of the chest; its apex is inclined to the left side. 

Attachtnent. — The base of the heart is attached to the anterior 
and superior portion of the cavity of the chest, by the venous and 
|irterial trunks running to and from it, and these in turn have their ira- 
Inediate and intermediate unions with various tissues in the vicinity, 
"Which tend to keep the heart in its proper position and allow of some 
degree of motion. Above the roots of the large blood-vessels, and 
adhering to the pleura, commences the ^^ericardiiwi, a strong mem- 
branous sac, which contains the heart; this sac is attached to the 
sternum, and to a part of the tendinous portion of the diaphragm. 

JPericardium. — This tunic, called by butchers the heart-hag, is 



PECULIAR TO HOKSES. 109 

composed of two membranes, united together by cellular tissue ; the 
external one is of a fibrous character, dense and strong ; the inter- 
nal is smooth and glistening, and very much resembles that found 
within the cavity of the chest, known as the pleura ; its function is 
to secrete a fluid called the hquor pericardii ; this fluid being inter- 
posed between the internal surface of the pericardium and the mem- 
brane proper of the heart, guards against friction. ^ It is within the 
pericardium that we occasionally meet with a disease known as 
hydrops pericardii. 



REASONS WHY HORSES DO NOT BREATHE THROUGH 

THEIR MOUTHS ! 

The soft palate, as it is technically called, velum palati, is a sort 
of curtain afiixed to the roof of the mouth, in the region of the pal- 
atine arch; it has a free edge which rests upon the epiglottis.* It 
slants in a posterior direction, so that anything in the shape of food 
coming from the mouth, raises and pushes it backward ; but any- 
thing coming from the oesophagus or trachea, pushes it forward and 
downward, closes it, and thus prevents all egress. So that air is 
expired and respired through the nasal outlet, and all matter vom- 
ited from the stomach must also be ejected through the nostrils. In 
the act of coughing, however, which is a spasmodic action, the air 
returns in body and with force suflicient to raise the velum palati, so 
that a passage through the mouth is, at the moment, secured. 

The mechanism of the soft palate is as follows : Its composition 
is nearly the same as that of the hard palate, yet it abounds more in 
glandular substance and muscular fibre ; by means of the levator 
palati, its substance is raised. On the lateral and internal portion of 
the membrane we find bundles of muscular fibres, constituting a pair 
of muscles known as depressors^ which aid in retaining the palate 
in its place, viz., on the epiglottis. From the above brief remarks 
the reader will perceive that it is not natural for ahorse to breathe 
throusrh his mouth. 



USE OF THE HARD PALATE, OR 'BARS" OF A 
HORSE'S MOUTH. 

The palate of the horse's mouth is divided, according to custom, 
into two parts, denominated soft and hard. The soft portion runs 
in a superior and posterior direction, to the region of the base of the 
tongue, and serves to separate the mouth from the fauces. f The 
hard palate is marked crosswise by prominent ridges and furrows 
from side to side, which are called the "bars." They serve to aid 
in keeping the food within the mouth during mastication. Were it 
not for this contrivance (the horse's head being pendulous), it would 

* Oarlilage at the root of the tongue. 

t Fauces. The back part of the mouth. The soft palate is a mere expanded uvula. It origi- 
nates at the arch of the palate bone, where the hard palate terminates. 



110 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

be very difficult for the animal to retain food within the mouth 
during mastication. The hard palate is not very highly organized, 
nor so sentiitive as some persons seem to suppose. It is said to be 
the seat of lampas^ which is a mere state of relaxation, causing the 
folds or bars to appear tumefied, so as to be almost on a level with 
the upper incisors. For the removal of this painless tumefaction, a 
barbarous remedy is resorted to, viz., the actual cautery,* an opera- 
tion never necessary nor safe ; and, knowing these facts, no gentle- 
man, I think, will ever allow so noble and useful an animal as a 
horse to be thus painfully used. Knowing as we do the function of 
the bars, and setting aside the barbarity of the actual cautery, such 
an operation must be injudicious, because it involves a loss of struc- 
ture, and the bars are never so prominent as before. Aside from 
this, we are doing our very worst to create a sore mouth. 

Structure of the Palate. — It is composed of epithelium (scarf 
skin), condensed basement membrane, mucous and areolar, or cellu- 
lar tissue. 

The mucous membrane makes up the greatest part of the thick- 
ness of the palate. Its sensibility, when compared with that of the 
skin, is very inferior. It seems to be better adapted for absorption 
and secretion than for the function of sensation. 

While discussing this matter, we may as well inform the reader 
what is the best plan of treatment for tumefaction or relaxation of 
the palate, known as "lampas." The remedy is astringent lotions, 
and proper attention to stable management. A little powdered 
alum rubbed on the palate once daily, for a short time, will fre- 
quently effect a cure. 



CHOLERA IN ANIMALS. 

It is said that during the prevalence of cholera in Bromberg, 
horses were unusually subject to cholic and other intestinal affec- 
tions, and sometimes passed blood with their evacuations. 



ROT. 



According to the best authorities, rot may be considered a para- 
sitic disease. It is actually a state of systemic debility, the para- 
sites abounding simply because the system is in a condition favorable 
for their development. The remedy is, equal parts of salt, sul- 
phur, charcoal and ginger ; the dose varying from a tea spoonful 
to five or six drachms occasionally. 



PLETHORA. 



Mr. Gamgee says, "The subject of plethora, especially with re- 
gard to the changes suddenly occurring in the blood from a variety 



* Actual cautery. Red hot iron. 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. Ill 

of causes, calls for the most serious attention of veterinarians ; and 
we may, in the course of time, unravel some of the mystery attend- 
ing that very numerous class of diseases described by continental 
authors under the head ' Carbuncular Affections," or different forms 
of anthrax. From the Latin carbo^ the term carbuncular has been 
derived ; and all the diseases thus designated have the peculiarity 
of inducing, or being attended by, a black or a very dark color of 
the blood. But this character is too vague to warrant the grouping 
together of many maladies distinguished from each other by very 
important signs and results." 



POISONING BY ARSENIC. 

The following case from my note book may furnish the reader some 
valuable information in view of saving the life of a horse when acci- 
dentally or maliciously poisoned by the destructive agent known as 
arsenic, or rats-bane. 

History of the Case. — The subject, a roan gelding, aged eight 
years, the property of Messrs. Flanders &> Eastman, of Boston, was 
employed in the capacity of a truck-horse, and used as a leader. On 
the 10th of August, 1861, a quantity of arsenic, packed in kegs not 
properly coopered, was landed on one of the wharves, and the above 
firm were engaged to truck it to the store of the consignees. While 
rolling the keg3 on the truck, a quantity of the arsenic was distri- 
buted over the shafts, and before the driver was aware of it, the 
horse had gathered and swallowed a quantity of the poison. Imme- 
diately on discovering what the animal was about, the driver, with 
a gloved hand, removed from the tongue and lips as much as possi- 
ble of the poison. The horse was shortly afterwards taken to the 
stable of its owner, when I was called to attend him. 

Appearance op the Patient at the Stable. — The pulse, at 
the angle of the jaw, was quickened, yet scarcely perceptible ; show- 
ing that the poison had acted as a sedative or depressor of the heart's 
function ; respiratory action rather laborious ; surface of the body 
rather chilly ; lower parts of the limbs quite cold : visible surfaces, 
viz., those of the mouth, nose and eyes, considerably injected or 
reddened ; mouth hot, and the breath had a very bad odor. On ap- 
plying ray ear to the walls of the abdomen, I detected an active 
rumbling noise. 

Treatment. — Administered one pint of lime water, and the white 
or albumen of two eggs ; the surface of the body was then faith- 
fully rubbed with straw, and willing arms ; and finally, a pint of 
lime water to half a bucket of pure water was placed before the 
patient, so that in case he should be thirsty he might satisfy that 
thirst, and at the same time introduce a portion of lime water within 
the stomach. It now being near midnight, I gave one ounce and a 
half of pure glycerine, and left the animal in charge of his owners. 

Early on the following morning I found active purgation had com- 
menced ; this I considered a favorable omen — an effort of nature to 



112 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

rid the system of poisonous and morbid material — and I felt that 
no immediate danger was to be apprehended. 1 however attempted 
to drench the animal with a small quantity of lime water and pow- 
dered charcoal, merejy to alkalize and deodorize the contents of the 
intestinal canal, but I found it impossible to get a drop of it down 
the oesophagus, in consequence of constriction at the upper portion 
of the same, a condition of the parts that usually follows the admin- 
istration of an overdose of arsenic. 

The symptoms, as observed on my previous visit, had imdergone 
but slight change, yet the surface of the body was warmer, and the 
animal appeared to suffer slightly from intestinal pain. In view of 
producing counter irritation, I applied mustard, liquified, to the 
throat and abdomen. 

During the day the excremental discharges were very profuse, 
and emitted an intolerable stench ; towards night an attempt was 
made to drench the animal with a pint of port wine, which was at- 
tended with success, the constriction at the upper part of the 
cesophagus being somewhat relaxed. 

On the following day the discharges were less frequent, and the 
patient appeared much better; he managed to swallow some flour 
gruel, and was again drenched with a pint of port wine. 

The above comprises the whole of the medical treatment. By 
means of good nursing, &c., the animal so far recovered as to be 
able to resume work after a period of twelve days from the time of 
the accident. 

For the benefit of the reader I would say that, " nature, who is 
ever busy by the silent operation of her own forces," did more for 
the restoration of this animal from the effects of a well known poison, 
than the medicinal agents which were used ; and I take this oppor- 
tunity to enter my protest against the orthodox method of treating 
cases of this kind, which contemplates the use of large doses of the 
hydrated peroxide of iron^ which, unless it be expelled from the sys- 
tem by the administration of active purgatives, is as destructive as 
arsenic — the original poison. 



FUNGUS H^MATODES OF THE PENIS. 

Preliminary. — Fungus is a term used in morbid anatomy, to ex- 
press any luxuriant formation of flesh in the shape of a soft excres- 
cence. Hmmaiodes is derived from the Greek language, and signifies 
bloody appearaoice. In plain English, Fungus Hsematodes is a lux- 
uriant formation in, or on, the soft parts of the body, presenting a 
bloody appearance — the bleeding fmigus. 

The ancient writers describe this disease as a species of soft can- 
cer or medullary — soft — sarcoma (a fleshy excrescence), and the prob- 
ability is, that it is a cancerous affection, for I have several times 
removed excrescences of this character, and they invariably re-formed 
and acquired considerable magnitude, even although the most scien- 
tific remedies were daily used for the prevention of their after-devel- 
opment. 

The modus operandi of the development of these kind of tumors 
is as follows : They commence with a soft enlargement, or tumor, on 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 113 

the various tissues of the body ; for example, in the region of the 
eyes, testicles, penis, extremities, and breast; the tumor becomes 
elastic and painful ; in form it is irregular, having innumerable con- 
vexities and concavities, bulging out in various directions into an 
irregular mass of morbid production, and from the surface of which 
blood often exudes. 

The above brief description of the nature and pathology of the 
disease, is offered as merely explanatory, for the benefit of a large 
proportion of readers who are not supposed to be versed in the tech- 
nicalities of the schools of medicine. 

The following case will show the mode of operation : 

History of the Case. — The subject, a bay gelding, aged twelve 
years, of the sanguine temperament. For six months it was noticed 
that he did not urinate freely (a mechanical difficulty), and in view 
of treating a .<??/p;:)<9sec? disease of the kidneys, some person prescribed 
the usual diuretics, nitre and rosin, which did the patient more harm 
than good, for he soon passed bloody urine ; the owner then sou^rht 
the advice of another person, expected to know something about the 
diseases of horses, who bled^ to the amount of a large bucket full, 
and gave daily doses of medicine, all to no purpose ; for the horse 
daily grew worse, urinated with much difficulty, and instead of the 
urine being voided in the usual continuous, single stream, it described 
a backward current (wetting the hind legs), of various streams, as if 
coming from the perforated muzzle of a watering pot. 

This was the condition of the horse at the time of my first visit. 
I found 2^ pin in his nech^ where *' old LanceV had bled him, and a 
bottle of " cure all" at his side. An examination of the penis re- 
vealed the presence of a fungus tumor on the glans-penis ; this I 
proposed to remove, and the owner of the animal consented. 

Operation for the Removal of the Tumor. — The horse was 
cast by means of the hobbles, and when fully under the influence of 
chloroform, the penis was drawn from its sheath, exposing a tumor 
of about half the bulk of a man's fist ; it was attached to the head 
of the penis, and to the surface of the urethral outlet. By careful 
dissection, the whole of the morbid production was removed without 
much loss of blood. Thus ended the difficulty. 



WORMS. 

Worms are usually the result of a deranged condition of the diges- 
tive organs ; the usual symptoms are, a voracious appetite ; loss of 
flesh, and a general unthrifty condition, accompanied often by a dry, 
irritable cough ; the excrement is usually slihiy, and the anus is often 
the seat of a morbid secretion. 

Treatment. — It was customary in former times to give powerful 
vermifuges for the expulsion of the parasites ; but the most rational 
method is to impart tone to the digestive function and organs, in the 
use of tonics, stimulants, and alteratives. See article on Bots. or 
use the American Magnetic Horse Powders. 
8 



114: TREATMENT OF DISEASES 



DIPTHERIA. 



Diptheria among horses is not a very common malady, yet it does 
sometimes occur, as the sequel of suppurative laryngitis. It is a 
very dangerous aftection, from the fact that the exudation and mor- 
bid material generates within the respiratory passages. 

In view of furnishing the reader some reliable information on this 
Bubject, I here introduce a case, as recorded in my note book. 

The subject is an entire colt, aged four years, son of the celebrated 
Patchen, now owned by J. McPherson, of Chicago, and valued at 
twenty-five hundred dollars. 

On the 25th of September, 1862, I was requested to proceed to 
the " Cattle Pens" and examine the above named horse, the messen- 
ger informing me that the animal was " choking to death." On ar- 
rival I found the animal in a dangerous condition ; he appeared to 
be gasping for breath ; a loud stertorous noise, which could be heard 
at some distance, indicated the nature of the difficulty as depending 
on obstruction within the larynx; the pulse at the angle of the jaw 
was very indistinct; both pupils were dilated or amaurotic ; the 
extremities and external surface of the body were deathly cold ; the 
tongue and visible mucous surfaces were livid, indicating speedy 
death. Once in a while the animal would be seized with a convuh 
sive or spasmodic fit of coughing, which every time seemed to 
threaten his existence ; in these fits of coughing, he passed from his 
nostrils a sort of cheesy matter, which seemed to be mixed up with 
a diptherial exudation and yellow matter, and from the mouth con- 
stantly streamed a frothy and glairy discharge. 

Under the above circumstances, I considered that the attem])t to 
administer medicine would only be trifling with the life of the patient ; 
hence, I decided to perform the operation of tracheotomy, which 
was done in the following manner : 

Having secured the survices of a couple of assistants, the horse 
was led to a convenient spot in the centre of the stable. I then 
commenced an incision over the central part of the trachea or wind- 
pipe, about eight inches below the angle of the jaw. The animal 
did not appear to like this sort of treatment, and seemed disposed to 
resist and give battle, so that I was obliged to put a twitch on the 
point of his nose. Having laid bare the trachea, I punctured it, and 
by means of a probe-pointed bistoury dissected out a circular piece, 
corresponding to the calibre of the tracheotomy tube. At this mo- 
ment the horse experienced immediate relief and offered no further 
resistance. The tube was then inserted and secured to the neck by 
means of elastic tape, and in the course of a few minutes the alarm- 
ing symptoms had entirely subsided. 

I then applied a counter-irritant to the region of the throat, 
(larynx), composed of cod-liver oil, spirits of ammonia and camphor, 
ordered a " bran-mash," and secured the services of a faithful watch- 
man. The operation was performed at nighty guided by the uncer- 
tain rays of a couple of dilapidated stable lanterns, yet luckily "all 
is well that ends well ;" my patient came out all right. 

For several days he had a very copious discharge from both nos- 
trils, and also from the tracheal orifice, so that the tracheotomy t^be 



PECULIAR TO HOKSES. 115 

had to be removed and cleansed several times during the day and 
night. Fom- days after the operation, the tube accidentally slipped 
out of the trachea, and on my arrival in the morning I found that air 
from the lungs had inflated the whole cellular tissue of the neck, from 
head to breast, so that about these parts he appeared like a juvenile 
elephant. 

I reinserted the tube, and rubbed the neck with the liniment al- 
ready in use, and gave a dose of ammonia in water, with some fluid 
extract of prickly ash bark. 

On the fifth day after the operation, I removed the tracheotomy 
tube and dispensed with it, leaving the animal to breathe through 
the orifice, he still being unable to breathe through the nostrils. 

During this day and the sixth, a very copious discharge from the 
nostrils, as well as the tracheal artificial orifice, occurred, much of 
the same resembling that attending diptheria. The animal now be- 
gan to show symptoms of dropsy, in the region of the breast, belly, 
sheath and legs, for which I prescribed sweet spirits of nitre, com- 
bined with my favorite tonic (golden seal.) The dropsical swelling 
at the point of the sternum being very large, I there introduced a 
seton smeared with olive oil and spirits of hartshorn, which finally 
had a very good eflect; and in the course of a few days, by means 
of this and slight scarifications, the swelling had entirely subsided, 
together with the other dropsical symptoms. 

From day to day the patient gradually improved. I sutured the 
wound made in opening the trachea, on the tenth day after the oper- 
ation, and now, at the time of writing this article, (fifteen days from 
'jhe time of my first visit) there is a slight discharge from the nos- 
trils, also from between the stitches taken to close the wound in the 
aeck, neither of which am I in a hurry to arrest, as I consider them 
favorable symptoms. 

The horse has now a good appetite, is in fine spirits, lays down at 
night, and is out of all danger; and what is most remarkable, does 
not appear to have lost much flesh. This is probably owing to the 
fact, that the horse had a fine vital temperament, which sustained 
him through the trial of his malady, and during the same he got no 
medicine of a prostrating character, my aim being to keep the horse 
alive while the disease run its course. 

Remaeks on the Case. — I hope the reader will not infer that 
every case of diptheria requires the above treatment ; this, like every 
other disease, must be treated according to its indications, and it is 
very rare that the disease assumes the complex form which charac- 
terized this imusual aflfection. 



VETERINARY SCIENCE — HOW TO INAUGURATE IT 
IN THE U. S. ARMY. 

The necesssity which now exists for the services of veterinary 
surgeons in the U. S. army, needs no argument on the part of the 
author of this work. Eivery man possessing the least particle of 
humanity for that much-abused class of animals known as " army 



116 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

horses,'''' and being conversant with the facts in relation to the out- 
rageous treatment they receive, must feel that a reform is most sadly- 
needed. 

A short time ago I was requested by a government officer to pre- 
sent a feasible plan for making the knowledge I possess available. 
The following was my answer : 

I am sorry to have to inform you that up to the present period 
there exists no law authorizing the employment of competent vete- 
rinary surgeons ; therefore, any rational plan calculated to ameliorate 
the condition of army horses, or to prevent the many unnecessary 
cases of disease and premature death which are now constantly oc- 
curring, or to guard against the great pecuniary losses which the 
Govern.ment and people of this country are now compelled to sub- 
mit to in the condemnation and forced sales of deteriorated horses, 
cannot, as I understand the subject, be considered by the " powers 
that be" until Congress shall legislate upon the subject. I now 
propose to inform you how I shall render the knowledge I possess 
available. 

In the, first place, I should follow the systems of instruction and 
the organizations of the veterinary schools of London, Edinburg, 
Alfort and Saumeer, and prepare suitable text-books, adapted to the 
wants of a nation, of a people, who have never given the subject 
that attention which its importance demands. 

In the selection of pupils I should favor the excellent plan pro- 
posed by Gen. McClellan, which is as follows : " The pupils for the 
veterinary school might be selected from among the best recruits ; 
indeed, it is not improbable that the advantages of such an institu- 
tion would induce excellent men to enlist for the purpose of availing 
themselves of its benefits. Should such be found to be the results, 
it would be well to require them to enlist for longer than the usual 
time, as a compensation for the time spent at the school." Cavalry 
officers, farriers, or blacksmiths, should be permitted to attend lec- 
tures on anatomy, physiology, and the obvious diseases and lame- 
nesses of horses. 

In cases of emergency, a competent veterinarian should be em- 
ployed in each cavalry regiment, whose duty it should be to select 
an intelligent farrier from each company, and instruct such person, 
in a brief and practical manner, on the management of cavalry 
horses in camps, the prevention of diseases, and the most rational 
method of treating diseases incident to camp life. 

Should it be found impossible to secure the services of a sufficient 
number of competent veterinarians for the above purpose, let those 
who have shown themselves qualified, by an examination before a 
medical board, march from camp to camp, give instructions, see that 
the sick and disabled are separated from healthy animals, and that 
the former be placed in a covered hospital, and then issue special 
regulations for the use of mounted troops in garrison and the field, 
for the purpose of guarding against the consequences of ignorance 
and abuse of the animal machine. 

It would be advisable to establish a veterinary professorship at 
West Point, and there locate the National School. The Govern- 
ment has there a very fine French model of the horse, a skeleton, and 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 117 

various preparations of morbid anatomj^ <&jc., &c., whioh, together 
with other material available, will furnish all that is necessary for 
the purposes of veterinary tuition. It would also be advisable for 
the Chief Veterinary Surgeon to issue to his subordinates such 
orders as shall secure proper sanitary regulations in camp. The 
horses should be as well cared for as the troops, for in cavalry and 
artMlery service, the success of a campaign, for attack and defense, 
depends much on the health and efficiency of the horses. It should 
be the business of some members of the veterinary corps to station 
tht-mselves at accessible points, and there erect temporary hospitals 
for the reception of sick and lame horses, where the latter shall re- 
ceive the benefits of a rational system of medication and nursino-, 
whereby, in their restoration to usefulness, many millions of dollars 
might be saved to the Government in a short time. I contend that 
th*- condemnation and ruinous sale of sick and lame horses is a wan- 
ton waste of property; and it would be just as rational, if rational 
at all, to sacrifice, neglect or abandon sick or disabled soldiers, sim- 
ply because they are not in fit condition for present duty. 

It has been suggested that ''the erectioti of hospitals for sick 
horses icill cost too micchy This is a miserable subterfuo-e, ana 
bears comparison with the insane policy of Farmer Neverthink, who 
contended that when corn was sold at a high price and cost consid- 
erable money to plant it, it teas much cheaper to starve to death. 

The following paragraph will serve to illustrate the necessity which 
now exists for the services of veterinary surgeons : 

" A short time ago, 1,185 condemned horses were sold under the 
hammer, by the Quartermaster at Washington. They brought 
prices ranging from $20 to $45. These animals had been in service 
only about six or eight weeks, and cost the Government, originally, 
from $115 to $128, and it is asserted that another sacrifice^ in the 
samn way, was to be made in the course of a few days ! In a trans- 
action of this kind the Government loses, in the short space of a few 
weeks, over two hundred thousand dollars, which sum would secure 
the services of a most efficient veterinary corps, like that now at- 
tached to the British or French armies, for a period of a year or 
more ; and by such an arrangement over seventy per cent, of the 
sick and disabled animals might in a short time be rendered fit for 
the service." 



THE BITE OR STING OF VENOMOUS FLIES AND 

REPTILES. 

In Texas, and in some of the warmer regions of this country, 
horses suffer intensely from the sting or bite of winged insects and 
Venomous reptiles. The best remedy, in view of counteracting the 
effects of the same, is, plantain {plumbago major.) A small quan- 
tity of the fluid extract of plantain should be applied to the affected 
part, and the affiicted animal should be drenched daily with two 
ounces of the same. 

The American Magnetic Lotion is an excellent remedy as a local 
application. 



118 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 



THUMPS. 



This is a term applied by some persons to a disease known to the 
members of our profession as Palpitation of the H^^art. It is not al- 
ways an organic affection of the heart, but is often symptomatic, or 
sympathetic. 

Thumps, or Palpitation of the Heart, is easily discovered by 
placing the hand on the region of the chest, just beneath the shoul- 
der; the thumps or palpitations are then distinctly felt. 

Should the animal be the subject of any well-marked disease, and 
palpitation accompany it, I should not feel alarmed about the palpi- 
tation, but proceed to treat the disease. In the restoration of the 
animal to health the palpitation would cease. 

Thumps, or palpitation, often occurs in consequence of spasm of 
the diaphragm, or midriff: when confined to this muscle, the palpi- 
tation is noticed to occur at the flanks instead of in the region of 
the chest, and the inference is that the disease is not organic, but is 
of nervous origin ; hence, in such cases I recommend the use of 
anti-spasmodics. The best anti-spasmodic drench that I know of, is 
composed as follows : 

Fluid Extract of Indian Hemp 2 ounces. 

Powdered Asafoetida . , 1 scruple. 

Syrup of Garlic 4 ounces. 

Mix. Dose : one ounce night and morning. 

The whole region of the spine should be anointed once daily, with 
some stimulating liniment. The American Magnetic Liniment is the 
best preparation I know of for the purpose. 

Occasionally, thumps or palpitation, is the result of dropsy of the 
brain. When this happens to be the fact, a cure is almost impossi- 
ble ; yet if the animal be a valuable one, I should try my best to 
save his life. The only reliable agent in a case of this character, is 
iodide of potass, twenty grains of which should be administered, 
twice daily, in the form of a drench. 



WARBLES. 

Warbles are a kind of local abscess occurring in the region of 
the back, induced by undue or unequal pressure from the saddle. 
When matter can be detected in them, they should be opened and 
dressed with compound tincture of aloes and myrrh. If this cannot 
be obtained, apply the American Magnetic Lotion. 



ROARIKG IN HORSES. 



Roaring is usually the result of structural alterations within the 
larynx or upper part of the windpipe bordering on the trachea. In 
mild cases of roaring, we usually find a thickened state of the mem- 



PECULIAR TO HOESES. 119 

brane lining the upper portion of the respiratory passage ; and when 
roaring is occasioned by thickening of this membrane, its degree 
depends on the ratio of decrease in the calibre of the tube breathed 
through. 

Roaring is a very aristocratic disease. Many of the very best and 
fastest horses in England were, and now are, notorious roarers. Fly- 
ing Childers, as fast a horse as ever wore horse shoes, was one of 
the worst roarers ever known. The story runs, that when Childers 
was at full speed, his roaring resembled juvenile thunder ! — he could 
be heard when distant hall* a mile ! 

The worst form of roaring (as paddy says) is whistling. This is 
the sharp, shrill note, not only occasioned by the thickening of the 
lining membrane of the primary passages of respiration, but by alter- 
ations in the form and structure of the larynx — the larynx being, in 
popular language, known as the '* voice box." 

Roaring is more prevalent among stallions than mares and geld- 
ings ; and the kind of horse most subject to it is the one having a 
thick, chunky neck, and having the angles of the jaws in very close 
proximity with the neck. 

Roaring, scarcely, if ever, admits of a radical cure, and when of 
hereditary or congenital origin, a cure is impossible. A roarer should 
never be encumbered with a check-rein, for it has the effect of caus- 
ing undue prf^ssure on the larynx, and thus augments the difficulty. 

Roaring can, however, be relieved by an operation known as 
tracheotomy, which is performed at a point a few inches below the 
larynx. 

At a late meeting of the Imperial and Central Society of Veteri- 
nary Medicine, M. LeblanQ read a communication on tracheotomy 
which was performed on a carriage horse. " The operation had been 
performed because the horse was a severe roarer, and he wore the 
tube eighteen years and a half, doing fast work all the time. The 
animal was destroyed at twenty-three years of age, the owner not 
desiring to make further use of him, nor to sell him. Since the op- 
eration, Leblanc had not observed any change in the horse, except 
a depression of the bones of the face. After death, the larynx was 
found very narrow, the mucous membrane and sub-mucous cellular 
tissues were thickened, the epiglottis deformed, very obtuse, and 
averted at its free margin. The change in the larynx was the orig- 
inal cause of roaring. The depression of the bones of the face was 
connected with constriction of the nasal chambers, and was evidently 
secondary to the change in the course of the air in the process of 
respiration. The parts of the trachea in contact with the tube had 
undergone a transformation into very hard tissue, which replaced 
both mucous membrane and cartilaginous tissue. It filled the trachea 
above the point where the tube had been introduced, and, intermixed 
witli this firm, fibrous deposit, was cartilaginous and osseous tissue, 
whicli offered great resistance to the scalpel." 

Roaring, thick wind, whistling, &c., are often the sequel of stran- 
gled infiuenza, laryngitis, and other affections of the respiratory pas- 
sages, and hence may have an accidental origin; in such cases we 
may entertain a hope of doing some good by means of medicinal 
agents and counter-irritants. 



120 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

The medicines which have proved most successful in my practice 
are as follows : 

Iodide of Potass 4 ounces. 

Fluid Extract of Stillingia 1 pound. 

Dose : two ounces dally, in the form of a drench. 
The region of the throat should be rubbed daily with a portion of 
the following : 

Spirits of Camphor 6 ounces. 

Diluted Acet. Acid 12 " 

Mix. 



SURFEIT. 

Surfeit somewhat resembles the nettle-rash of children. Tumors, 
varying in size, suddenly appear in various parts of the body and 
limbs; they create an intolerable itching sensation, and when punc- 
tured, a watery fluid escapes. 

Surfeit is usually the result of derangement of the digestive 
organs. 

Treatment. — Make a sloppy bran-mash and add to it one ounce 
of powdered podophyllum, and four drachms of powdered nitre ; in 
short, any medicine of an alterative character is indicated, and I 
know of no better alterative than that manufactured by Lord & 
Smith, of Chicago, known as the American Magnetic Horse Pow- 
ders. Their Magnetic Lotion is also a suitable external application, 
for this disease. A small portion of it should be applied twice daily, 
by means of a sponge. 

;erysipelas. • 

Erysipelas is known by the eruption of inflammatory, nodulous 
swellings, usually appearing about the head and limbs. The swell- 
ings are generally hard, hot, and painful ; sometimes they become 
purple and spotted, and sloughings supervene. The disease often 
occurs in consequence of an impoverished state of the blood. 

Treatment. — Pure air and nutritive food are indicated, and the 
medicinal treatment is the same as for surfeit. 



ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE HORSE. 

What provokes Muscular Action. The influence which pro- 
vokes muscular action is brought to them by the nervous threads or 
filaments — termed nerve threads. These are distributed amongst the 
muscular fibres in all parts of the body ; and on the external sur- 
face of the body and extremities they are very minute and delicate, 
which accounts for the sensitive condition of the skin, nose, feet and 
ears of the horse. A knowledge of these facts should operate to 



PECULIAR TO HOKSES. 



121 



prevent much barbarity which is even now unknowingly applied. 
For example, a horse lame is brought to a blacksmith, in view of dis- 
covering the seat of lameness. The blacksmith, acting on the aph- 
orism of " every man to his trade," sees nothing inside or outside of 
the foot— which happen to be the geographical boundaries of his 
craftsman knowledge of equine diseases ; he applies a pair of pm- 
cers, wielded by strong, muscular arms, perhaps supposing that the 
whole foot is as insensible as the generous slices which he has been 
accustomed to remove from the crust and sole. The effect of the 
mechanical force employed is often to create lameness in a region, 
perhaps, where it never existed ; and the same is true as regards 
many other supposed innocent barbarities which the horse is com- 
pelled to submit to. • • i? 
Nerve Threads. Nerve threads are minute tubes consistmg of 
very delicate fiims capable of transmitting from the great galvanic 
Ijattery — the brain— its mandates of intelligence. Some of these 
threads, or tubes, enter the muscles as large branches, and then ram- 
ify and are distribued in all directions through the muscular sub- 

Nerve Branches. The nerve branches are bundles of distinct 
tubules, bound together in a common sheath, yet to the naked eye 
they appear as a common thread. 

Nerve Tubules. The nerve tubules are kept distinct from each 
other, or isolated, from the fact that their function is the conveyance 
of distinct impressions to particular parts of the animal economy. 

The Spinal Coed. The spinal cord is carefully invested in its 
bony canal by membranes similar to those which enclose the brain. 
The spinal cord, like the brain, is composed of two apparently dif- 
ferent substances, one being white, which is termed medullary ; the 
other of a gray color, termed ci7ie7'itious. 

The white substance of the brain contained in the nerve cells, is a 
combination of fat, phosphorus and water. 

Two ounces of every pound of nerve substance is albumen. Al- 
bumen is a substance similar to the white of an Qg^. 

Every pound of nerve substance contains eleven ounces of water, 
one-third of an ounce of phosphorus and one ounce of fat. 

The gray color of the brain is due to the presence of a vast num- 
ber of minute blood vessels. 

Each nerve which is sent out from the spinal cord, or marrow, 
has a double root or origin ; the outer one distributes itself to the 
superficial or external parts of the body ; the inner branch furnishes 
nerves to the deeper seated tissues of the body. 

Sentient and Motor Nerves. The skin, or external surface of 
the body, is abundantly supplied with what are known as the ex- 
tremities or terminations of the sentient nerves ; and most of the 
nerves of the body consist of an admixture of two different kinds of 
nerves ; hence, we have motor as well as sensitive. 

The sentient nerves enable the animal to acquire information of 
the external world, as to the temperature of the atmosphere, &c. ^ 

All the outer extremities of the sentient nerves are associated with 
nerve cells and capillary blood vessels. 

Sentient impressions are vital changes connected with the destruc- 
tion of nerve substance which has to be replaced through the ordin- 



122 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 

ary course of nutrition ; hence, all the organs of sensation must be 
abundantly supplied with blood. The blood furnished to the nerve 
substance carries to it oxygen, and this oxygen effects the decompo- 
sition on which the nerve force depends for its integrity. Every 
thought, muscular action, pulsation, and act of resph'ation occasions 
nerx)e waste or decomposition. Respiration rather augments oxy- 
gen th-an diminishes, yet a certain amount of nerve waste occurs even 
in the physiolngical function of the lungs. 

Nerve waste is peculiarly rapid during the employment of nerve 
force, so that a horse of the nervous temperament — when perform- 
ing feats of speed — will become sooner exhausted than another of 
the lymphatic temperament, whose nervous system is not so deli- 
cately organized. The sum and substance of the matter is, that 
men and horses of the nervous temperament wear out, as the say- 
ing is, very fast. 

The spinal cord receives impressions from the external regions of 
the body, and emits motor force. For example, if we rudely handle 
an animal, the act occasions combative muscular movements. 

Some of the movements or evolutions carried on by the spinal 
cord are involuntary, and therefore may be considered as uncon- 
scious, simply because they occur when will and sensation are 
suspended, during the time when sleep prevails ; therefore it may 
be inferred that the spinal cord takes charge of various operations 
of the body, which would be less perfectly performed if left to the 
ordinary action of voluntary muscular and nervous actions. 

Many of the movements effected under the influence of the brain 
and spinal marrow, are instinctive, and in no way connected with 
the wiU. For example, a floating foreign body in the air approaches 
the eye of a man or horse, and ere either one knows anything about 
it, the eyelids are instantaneously closed (involuntarily, of course) ; 
hence, such muscular movements are in no way connected with the 
will. 

All animals that possess any trace of a cerebrum, or brain proper, 
are capable of performing some kind of intellectual operation. 

Mind. The results that are worked out through the activity of 
the brain are termed the " mind." Horses have a brain, hence must 
think and reason ; their manifestations of mind not differing from 
that of man, only in degree. 



ON THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE. 

During the past fifty years much of the live stock of this country 
has been most outrageously over- doctored and over-dosed, many 
people supposing that, by converting a sick horse's stomach into a 
sort of apothecary's shop and grocery store, the sooner would he 
get well, when the very reverse is the case ; for I am satisfied from 
long experience, and having been a careful observer of the effects of 
medicine on the animal economy, that the less drugs a sick horse 
gets, the more likely is he to get well. 

For example, when a large quantity of medicine is administered 
to a horse, it very frequently so disturbs the animal economy as to 



PECULIAR TO HORSES. 123 

create a medicinal disease of a very grave character ; add to this 
the original malady, and the reader will perceive that nature — the 
" Good Samaritan" — does not have a fair chance. If let alone, she 
(nature) is equal to the task of curing any curable disease ; but when 
meddlesome medication assails the citadel of life, the forces of nature 
being overpowered, they resign the living citadel to the enemy, and 
death is the result. 

Many medicines — so called — such as antimony, hellebore, strych- 
nia, arsenic, &c., &c., when administered in repeated doses, accu- 
mulate in the system, are absorbed, act as depressors of vitality, 
and the animal dies, actually poisoned by the so-called inedicine. 

After eighteen years of actual practice, I have come to the con- 
clusion that the business of the physician is to aid nature, and 
administer medicines of a sanative character, which are calculated 
to preserve the integrity of the vital Ibrces while the disease runs 
its course. Many medicines are supposed to have a specific effect 
on disease. I very much doubt this proposition, and believe that 
most of the curable cases are self-limited, and only require the exhi- 
bition of some simple form of medicine, the action of which is alter' 
ative. 

The effect of an alterative is to change morbid action ; and it does 
not matter what species of animal is afflicted, the laws of the animal 
economy are uniform, and whether we prescribe for a man, horse, 
or cow, our system of medication must, on the principles of reason 
and past experience, be of a sanative character, calculated to pre- 
serve the integrity of the organism ; so that, if any of the readers 
of this work have sick animals in the barn, sheep-fold, or hog-pen, 
I advise them to administer medicines of an alterative, yet sanative 
character. Messrs. Lord & Smith, of the city of Chicago, have 
recently prepared the " best alterative''* ever known to science, con^ 
taining no agent that can possibly have a bad effect on the system 
of any living creature, yet calculated to be potent in the cure of dis- 
ease. The American Magnetic Equine Powders can be used for 
almost all forms of disease that do not actually need the services of 
a veterinary surgeon. While the late Gen. O. M. Mitchell was in 
command of the Department of the Ohio, and afterwards under 
Buell in Kentucky, he ordered his division wagon master to use 
these powders, in all cases of disease occurring among horses under 
his care, and the consequence was, that the lives of many valuable 
horses were saved. So in reference to the Lotion and Liniment ; 
they had the same effect. 

While in Kentucky, almost all the horses attached to General 
Mitchell's brigade were the subjects of grease and scratches, and 
other cutaneous affections. He was supplied with a quantity of the 
American Magnetic Equine Lotion, which soon had the effect of 
eradicating the disease. 

See advertisement at end of this work. 



124: TREATMENT OF DISEASES PECULIAR TO HORSES. 



AGE OF HORSES. 

The age of a horsfe may be known by marks in the front teeth and 
tusks of the under jaw, until he is about eight years old, after which 
period it is a matter of guess-work ; yet those who are experts can 
tell very near the exact age. There are many circumstances which 
tend to show whether a horse be old or not. The number of a 
horse's teeth is forty— twenty-four grinders, and sixteen others — by 
some of which his age may be known up to a certain period. Mares 
have only thirty-six teeth, as in them the tushes are usually wanting. 
A few days after birth, the colt puts forth two small fi-ont teeth in 
the upper and under jaws, and soon after two more ; these are called 
nippers. The next four shortly afterwards make their appearance. 
The four corner teeth — as they are termed — come a few months after 
the last named. These twelve teeth, in the front of the mouth are 
small and white, and continue without much alteration until the colt 
is about two years and a half old, when he begins to shed them. 
The two teeth that first make their appearance are the first that are 
lost, and are replaced by two others, called horse's teeth, considera- 
bly stronger and larger than those that have made way for them. 
Between the third and fourth year, the two teeth next the first fall 
out, and are in like manner replaced by horse's teeth. Between the 
fourth and fifth year, the corner teeth are changed ; the tushes make 
their appearance. About the fifth year, the horse is said to have a 
full mouth. After this period, up to- the eighth year, the age of a 
horse can, with some degree of certainty, be known by the cavities 
in the teeth, which at first are deep, but are gradually, by the pro- 
cess of mastication, worn down, and about the eighth year disappear. 
After the fifth year, the above criterion of age may be corroborated 
by the grooves in the tushes of the male, which are inside ; they are 
two in number. At six, one of these cavities, viz., the one next the 
grinder, disappears ; at seven, the other is considerably diminished ; 
at eight, is almost, but not always, entirely gone. After this period, 
the tushes become more blunt and round. The marks in the upper 
teeth are by some considered indicative of the horse's age ; those in 
the two front teeth disappearing at eight, in the two next at ten, and 
in the corner teeth at twelve. The marks in the lower teeth will 
disappear about the eighth year. 

As a horse grows old, he generally turns more or less gray ; the 
cavities above the eyes become deeper ; the under lip falls ; the gums 
shrink away from the teeth, giving them the appearance of a greater 
length ; the back becomes hollow, or curved. 



AN ESSAY ON SHOEING HORSES- 




IMPROVED HORSE SHOE. 

Patent owned by Robbbt Halb, Fitchburg, Mass, 

This Shoe is one of the most valuable ever invented, and those 
persons who are in favor of a more rational system of shoeing horses 
will certainly give the enterpirsing owner of this ^^ pate7it shoe'^ their 
countenance and support. The shoe has a continuous calk, pointed 
to heel, which is something very desirable, and a very great improve- 
ment on the ordinary calks, which are on the principle of a triangle, 
and a rickety sort of an arrangement for any poor horse to stand on. 

I think this new invented shoe is better calculated to preserve the 
natural tread and functions of the foot than any other now in use, 
and I advise the readers of this work and all persons owning horses 
to give this shoe a fair trial, for I fully indorse all that the proprietor 
claims for it. The above shoe has been used in various parts of the 
United States, and has given universal satisfaction. 



126 ESSAY ON SHOEING HOKSES. 

It has upon its outer edge a narrow projection, of even thickness, 
"with a thin internal web — the narrow projection forming a continuous 
calk, in which is a groove through which the nails are driv<^n. The 
web is much thinner, and the whole shoe thus formed, weighs about 
one-fourth less than any common shoe, and at the same time is 
stronger and stiffer. 

Tliis shoe possesses the following advantages, viz. : 

Firat, Is less in weight tlian any other of the same size. 

Second. Admits of being nailed around the toe, where the shell 
of the hoof is thicker than at any other part, and of course requires 
less nails at the heels, or quarters, leaving this part of the foot free, 
neither being crowded in or out by being confined to a rigid bar of 
iron. 

Third. Admits of the frog coming in contact more readily with 
the earth, thereby absorbing the requisite moisture to keep it in a 
healthy condition and soft, as nature intended, in order that it might 
act as an elastic cushion, to receive in part the force of the blow and 
prevent injury to the whole system when stepping on hard surfaces 
or stones. 

Fourth. Prevents the slipping of the foot either back or side- 
ways on any soil or surf\xce when traveling — and with the same mus- 
cular power, a horse will travel more miles per day. 

Fifth. Greater ease and comfort when standing, as the foot is 
raised alike at the heel and toe, and bears upon the shell in a natural 
manner. 

Sixth. The internal web protects the sole from injury by contact 
with any hard substances — and also jwevents balling. 

Seventh. Great economy in shoeing. 

This shoe is in every respect superior for all horses used for mili- 
tary purposes. 

The shoe is made of puddled iron, of the very best charcoal-blown 
iron with steel calks, and of all steel 

HOUSE SHOES SHOULD BE CONCAVE NEXT THE GROUND — EVILS OP 
CREATING LENGTHY TOES. 

One of the principal objects in applying shoes to the feet of horsejr, 
is to preserve the concavity of the natural foot, at its sole. A horse 
in his natural state, and, indeed, up to the moment of affixing the 
first pairs of shoes to his feet, has a noticeable concavity of sole ; 
the hoof somewhat projecting beneath the sole, may be compared to 
claws, or to the nails of man, each of which aid in securing so many 
points of resistance ; hence, in the case of a horse, such conforma- 
tion of foot aids materially to prevent slipping on smooth pavements, 
also secures good foothold, so that the body can be advanced with 
less muscular exertion than if the shoe and foot presented to the 
ground a convexity, in which case no hold or fulcrum could be 
obtained. 

The evils of a convex, or even flat surface, next the ground, is 
best observable in the hind extremities, the main use of which is the 
propulsion of the body forwards, and when hauling a loaded vehicle, 
also. In accomplishing the labor, the power is derived from the 
muscles and tendons ; the bones of the leg are the compound levers ; 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HOESES. 127 

the muscles and tendons being inserted into the bones, it follows that 
the toe and outsirle border of the hoof or shoe (provided the latter 
is concave next the ground) become the fixed points of the leverage ; 
any deviation from this simple mechanical contrivance operates much 
against the animal's powers of hauling. 

Therefore I contend that the ground surface of the shoe should be 
concave, or saucer shape ; the outer rim or edge being prominent, 
takes the place of the outside edge of the unshod foot, and the sur- 
face next the ground being concave, it corresponds to the natural 
concavity of the hoof 

Unfortunately for the poor horse, very few persons who preside at 
the forge, take the above view of the case ; hence, if we take up a 
horse's foot and examine the shoe, we shall often find that the shoe 
is wrong side up, viz., the convex surface is next the ground; and 
any person acquainted with the facts in the case, and having the 
least sympathy for the poor horse, cannot do otherwise than deplore 
this very faulty method of shoeing. 

When Surgeon Percival first entered the British army, the above 
faulty method was universally practiced ; he immediately ordered 
the shoes to be reversed— turned upside down— and the cavalry 
horses were much benefited by this improvement, for it prevented 
an unnecessary waste of muscular power. 

It therefore matters not what may be the form of the foot, whether 
it be high or low heeled, contracted at the heels, lengthened or short- 
ened at the toe, or having a concave or convex sole ; the shoe must, 
or ought to be, concave on the ground surface. In other parts of 
the shoe, deviations from the general rule are absolute in conse- 
quence of the ever-varying form and action of the foot under the 
states of health, disease, and malformation ; and in concluding this 
part of my subject, I remark that in the concave ground surface of 
the feet of quadrupeds, and even bipeds, we are presented with a 
pattern for the ground surface of shoes, requiring no improvement, 
and if we were to follow this pattern more closely, there would be 
fewer accidents from falling, and a less number of unnecessarily lame 
horses. 

The next evil prevalent in a faulty method of shoeing, is that of 
paring the foot, so as to produce unnecessary length of "hoof at the 
toe. These long toes are a mechanipal disadvantage to the horse : 
he cannot raise the limb and foot, evenly, upward and forward ; 
hence, describes a sort of curve, and in so doing often strikes the 
opposite fetlock, and thus, as the saying is, "interferes." 

Long toes also tend to produce strain, or sprain of the flexor ten- 
dons and other parts, and soon the knee bulges out in front on a line 
Avith the lengthened toe ; then the flexor tendons either shorten, or 
the annular ligament, at the back part of the knee, contracts, and 
then we have a genuine case of "sprung knee," an unnecessary 
disease, a permanent eye-sore, and the animal is ever afterwards 
unsound ; unless, by the operation of tendinotomy, and the feet being 
put into a proper shape by a sensible shoeing smith, the animal is able 
to perform ordinary horse labor; or, in other words, is able to per- 
form the "ordinary duties of an ordinary horse." Dr. Cuming, a 
very experienced man in the art of shoeing horses, thus discourses 
on the evils of lengthy toes : 



128 ESSAY ON SHOEING HOiSES. 

" Another evil, resulting from the length at which the toes are 
commonly left, is interfering. The horse, finding the long projection 
in front of his foot as so much leverage, acting to his disadvantage, 
gradually gets into a habit of shifting it, by raising himself from one 
or the other of the quarters. This is still more the case when, in 
addition to the long toe left on the hoof, a small round knob of steel 
is set into the point of the shoe, as if in contempt of all that nature 
teaches. With these absurd contrivances placed between his weight 
and the ground which supports it, it is next to impossible for a horse 
to raise himself evenly upward and forward, and hence the number 
that one way or another interfere. If in raising his weight from the 
ground, the pressure be upon the inside quarter of the foot, then the 
thick part of the pastern is thrown inward, in the way of being 
struck by the upper edge of the hoof of the other side. If the cant 
be the other way, aad the outside quarter raise the weight, the inside 
edge of the shoe is thrown round and upward, and he runs the risk of 
cutting with it the opposite leg. Even when the horse, from having 
a naturally good gait, escapes both these evils, still he is not free 
from trouble caused by this shape of shoe. 

*' The fore foot of the horse, as nature makes it, has no such pro- 
jection in front and downward, as that which the smiths here give 
it, but rather the reverse. The sole surface at the toe is commonly 
broken off and notched back at the middle, so that the pressure, 
when the foot strikes the ground or the animal is raising his weight, 
is distributed over the whole front of the foot. In accordance with 
this, the coffin bone, which fills the internal cavity of the hoof, has 
the same turned-up and notched-back form. In England, France, 
and on the Continent of Europe generally, wherever Veterinary 
Schools exist, and scientific attention is given to shoeing, this natu- 
ral form of the foot is more or less followed in the shape of the shoe, 
and the animal has preserved to him, along with the protection from 
wear which the shoe gives, the position of tread for which nature 
has constructed the other mechanical arrangements of his organs of 
motion. Why it is not so here is perhaps partially due to the use of 
butteris for cleaning out the foot "when it is shod, as it is impossible 
with this antiquated instrument to bring the hoof to the proper shape 
in all its parts ; but it is more due to want of study on the part of 
those who shoe, of the structure of the foot, its uses, and the rela- 
tion existing between it and the other motive organs, the bones, ten- 
dons, and ligaments of the limbs. 

IN REGARD TO THE RULES OF SHOEING HORSES. 

The reader is, probably, well aware that great diversity of opinion 
exists among men regarding the be^Jt method of applying shoes to 
horses' feet, yet it is my belief that the best system is that which is 
calculated to preserve the natural function, position, and action of 
the feet, and adopts that kind of shoe which affords the most protec- 
tion, yet allows the frog to come in contact with the ground on which 
the animal stands or travels over. 

No specific rule can obtain in the general art of shoeing, for the 
simple reason that the feet differ very much under the conditions of 
health and disease ; hence, a certain form of shoe well adapted to 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HOESES 129 

meet the requirements of one condition, might prove positively inju- 
rious in another, as is often the case. 

It is generally understood that the hoof is sufficiently elastic to 
guard against the jar and concussion which occurs every time th^ 
feet are planted on the ground. This elasticity, as observed in a 
healthy and unfettered hoof, occurs in downward and backward 
directions. It is scarcely perceptible, yet wisely is it so ordained, for 
if there was much expansibility, or lateral motion to the hoof, it 
would prove ruinous to the foot, and the chances of securing a shoe 
to the same, without positive injury, would be very small. 

It is evident that nature has provided for some slight action of this 
kind, for the hoof is left open at the heels, between which is inter- 
posed a soft, elastic substance, known as the frog, which allows of 
the motions alluded to. Had the intention been otherwise, the hoof 
might have presented itself in the form of a hollow cylinder. 

The parts within the hoof known as the laminse, or leaves^ articu- 
late with each other, and the extent of their articulation is that of 
the joint contraction and expansion of the hoof, modified, of course, 
under the influence of partial or complete pressure while traveling 
on the road. 

Now, in order to favor this physiological action of the foot, the 
nails must not be inserted any nearer the heels than the safety of the 
shoe requires ; for should the shoe be nailed all around^ as the say- 
ing is, the hoof, at its solar border, is fettered ; hence, the action of 
articulation cannot occur, and the horse soon becomes lame. Three 
nails on the inside and five on the outside, are all that are needed to 
secure the shoe to the foot ; provided, however, the nail heads be 
countersunk, and the points well clinched ; if they are not, the shoe 
becomes loose, in consequence of the nails being driven upwards by 
repeated blows on their heads as the horse travels on hard roads and 
unyielding pavements. 

If possible, the frog should be allowed to come in contact with 
the ground, for it acts as a pad, and very much lessens jar or con- 
cussion, w^hich otherwise must necessarily occur ; it thus becomes a 
wall of defense, and the nature of the ground over which the crea- 
ture travels, determines the form, character and endurance of the 
frog. 

Thus, in the unshod colt we usually, in a healthy foot, find the frog 
well formed, prominent, and callous ; this is the result of the stimu- 
lating hard knocks it receives when traveling on hard roads. On 
the other hand, should we examine some animals' feet after they 
have been long submitted to the evils of domestication, which 
includes faulty shoeing, we shall find that the frog is often imperfect, 
both in function and structure. 

I would not have the reader infer from these remarks that the 
blacksmith is always blameable for loss of frog, &c., for in the win- 
ter season calks seem to be necessary, and, under such circum- 
stances, it is almost impossible to bring the frog in contact with the 
ground ; hence, it may deteriorate. Then again, there are various 
diseases of the foot which interfere with the integrity of the frog as 
well as that of other parts which enter into the composition of a 
horse's foot. 

9 



130 ESSAY ON SHOEING HOKSES. 



EEMAEKS ON THE FROG. 



There are several reasons why large portions of the frog should 
not be removed, and I will briefly allude to some of them. In the 
healthy frog there is a solid wedge-like portion of horn, extending 
from the cleft to the point of the same ; it lies directly under that 
small, yet very important bone, known as the " navicular" — which 
signifies boat-shape — and this bone, its region and contiguous tissues, 
often become the seat of a very painful disease know^n as navicular- 
thritis — inflammation of the parts. This disease often arises — so say 
the authorities — in consequence of removing the bulbous prolonga- 
tion termed the anterior point and bulb of the frog, the function of 
which is to protect, to a certain extent, this bone, and the sensitive 
parts connected with it, and to shield them from the injuries which 
might otherwise occur when the animal is made to travel fast over 
hard and uneven roads. 

A very distinguished physiologist has asserted that when once this 
bulbous enlargement is cut off*, it can never be reproduced, and thus 
this peculiar bulbous enlargement is seldom found in a horse's foot 
after he has been pared and shod. This enlargement or thickening 
of horny substance in the frog not only protects the navicular region, 
but it also shields the coffin joint, yet there is no part of the sole 
which receives such a thorough paring as this. 

The bulb of the toe once removed, nature causes augmented secre- 
tion of horny substance to make up for the loss of this bulb ; this 
secretion is often very abundant, but nature is no match against 
knife and butteris — the faster the horn grows, the better chance is 
there for those who feel disposed to cut and whittle it at every sub- 
sequent shoeing ; then the secretory function soon becomes impaired, 
and we find that the part finally becomes inelastic and brittle. 

The frog, as a whole, is that cushion-like substance, which, by 
coming in contact with the ground prevents jar and concussion, not 
only to the sensitive tissues within the hoof, but to the joints above ; 
— in fact, by the same means, some jar or concussion, which might 
otherwise occur to the whole body, is lessened. 

The frog is a part which is developed in the same ratio with other 
parts of the hoof, provided the parts are in a healthy condition, and 
thus the integrity of the whole is preserved ; the frog, therefore, 
serving as a part of the basis of the animal structure, cannot be re- 
moved with impunity. 

The reader is probably aware that if the frog be cut away, so that 
nothing but the shoe comes in contact with the earth, the body of 
the animal has little, if any, solar support; hence arises strain of 
the laminoe, and finally descent of the sole. 

Strain, or sprain of the laminse, and descent of the sole, is followed 
by structural alterations of tissues and parts within the hoof, and 
then the animal is said to be " foundered" — ruined in the feet. 

When preparing the foot in view of applying the shoe, it may be 
proper to remove just about as much of loose and rough portions of 
frog as the animal might be supposed to wear off", provided he were 
not shod ; and yet, according to the testimony of eminent surgeons, 
this is not always good policy, for these ragged and uncouth looking 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HORSES. 131 

parts usually serve as a protection to new formations beneath, and 
should not be removed until the latter are perfected. 

I am aware that the frog looks better when pared, but a healthy 
condition of the parts does not consist altogether in good looks, and 
the same reasoning also applies to the body of the animal ; there are 
many fine looking horses in this city, yet many of them, in conse- 
quence of hereditary predisposition and insidious disease, may bo 
next to death's door. We get a very handsome looking hoof and 
frog, by means of knife, butteris and rasp, but I defy any man to 
preserve their integrity and keep them healthy by such instruments. 

There was a time when the practice of cutting away the frog was 
recommended by surgeons themselves, so that the smiths who now, 
in good Mth, practice it, are not always blameable. One author, 
whose work I have perused, endeavors to smooth the matter over as 
follows : " The frog oifers so little resistance to the knife, and pre- 
sents such an even surface, so clean and nice, and cuts so easy, that 
it requires more philosophy than many smiths possess to resist the 
temptation to slice it away, despite a knowledge, in some instances, 
that it w^ould be far w^iser to let the frog alone." 

One of the most distinguished cavalry surgeons to the British 
army says, that he never allows a knife or butteris to touch the frog, 
for the simple reason that a long experience has shown conclusively 
that the frog possesses, under certain circumstances, less reproduc- 
tive powders than some other parts of the hoof, and the individual 
alluded to has had horses in his possession for more than five years, 
v^jjiose frogs never scraped acquaintance with a knife or anything of 
the sort. 

The reader may desire to know how the frog is to disencumber 
itself of its ragged and apparently superfluous surfaces ; if so, I 
answer that nature has provided a means, which is a process of cast- 
ing off or sloughing, and ^vhen this does occur, a new growth is seen 
beneath it, a smaller frog is visible, yet it is an entire one, and soon 
acquires magnitude in ratio with its connections. 

Among some persons an idea prevails that a hoof should be circu- 
lar. This is a great mistake, for on examination of a colt's foot we 
find that the segment of a circle is more apparent on the outside of 
the hoof; on the inside, from the toe to the heel, we have less curve. 

This appears to be a wise arrangement, as there is less liability to 
strike the inner angle of the hoof against the opposite limb ; there- 
fore I infer that any attempts by means of knife and rasp to make 
the inner margin of the hoof describe the segment of a circle, is 
contrary to the intention of nature, and injurious to the feet. 

REMARKS ON THE APPLICATION OP HOT SHOES. 

Hot shoes, as they are often applied, tend to carbonize the sole 
and crust, increase the temperature of the foot or feet, and thus, for 
the time being, induce functional derangement of the plantar system ; 
and if the horse be the subject of an inflammatory diathesis, or at 
all predisposed to disease of the feet, of an acute character, the hot 
shoe may possibly — and it often does — operate as an exciting cause 
to develop a latent affection. 

In view of giving the wo7i-professionaI reader some idea of the 
anatomy of the parts, that he may exercise his own judgment in the 



132 ESSAY ON SHOEING HOKSES. 

premises, I offer the following : By means of a microscope, we 
detect on the inside of the hoof^ — superior and inferior parts — a vast 
number of perforations, resembling the net-work of a seive ; these 
are termed " plantar porosities." In contact with these parts are the 
sensitive tissues, composed of slender fibres or filaments, termed 
papillae — nipple — highly organized structures, consisting of cellular, 
venous, arterial and nervous tissues. Supposing that we use a mi- 
croscope which magnifies 250 times, or diameters, each papillary 
arrangement appears of the size of four twenty-fifths of an inch, and 
they are to be found throughout the entire circumference of the fleshy 
sole ; the papillie are in contiguity with the porosities, and their func- 
tion is to secrete the equivalents of organization, and thus maintain 
the integrity of the feet. 

The porosities alluded to are the inlets, outlets, commencements, 
and terminations of the agglutinated hollow tubes — numbering many 
thousands — which collectively compose the wall and base of the 
hoof. Into these hollow tubes are prolongations. The latter are 
heated, burnt, or altered in structure, when brought in contact with 
a red-hot shoe ; hence, the function of the same must necessarily be 
impaired. 

In the criist, or wall of the foot, the tubular arrangement is some- 
what perpendicular. They insidiously increase in length, in a down- 
ward and forward direction, which gives length to tlic hoof. In the 
sole, the tubes are horizontal, which explains the multiplication of 
the same, and the inodus operandi of the physiological or natural 
thickening of the sole. 

The tubes of the crust and sole are usually considered as continuous"; 
consequently, if we cut or pare in the region of their junction, we 
not only open their canals, but weaken their bond of union ; and in 
such cases we must expect dislocation of the laminae, which is equiv- 
alent to descent of sole, known as ''flat, or convex feet." 

Hence, a red-hot shoe applied to the living tissues of a healthy 
fbot, must, necessarily, contract the calibre of the porosities with 
which it is brought in contact, and impair the function of the same. 

The reader is probably aware that moist heat does tend to relax 
all tissues of the animal economy, and that the reverse is the case 
when heat alone is applied ; for example, a dry floor, or a stall floor, 
strewed with saw dust, a dry sandy beach, all abstract moisture from 
moist bodies ; yet a heated shoe is a more direct absorber of moist- 
ure than either of the above, and must, necessarily, communicate an 
undue amount of caloric to the parts. By this method, the foot is 
not only carbonized, but afebrile ov inflammatory condition is inau- 
gurated. 

In view of sustaining the latter proposition, I introduce the follow- 
ing evidence from a report on the subject made by a distinguished 
professor of the veterinary art, a resident of France. By a series 
of experiments he discovered that the hoof and the sole were con- 
ductors of caloric ; that the conductile power of the crust was infe- 
rior to that of the sole, (yet the latter often gets a pretty essential 
burning whenever a horse is brought to be shod), the very part that 
ought not to be burned. He found, also, that it is not before the 
lapse of four or five minutes after combustion that the thermometer 
indicates the highest degree of heat to the foot. Also, that the 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HOESES. 133 

thinner the crust is, the more heat becomes transmitted to the inter- 
nal parts. 

Having thus assured himself of the hoof's conducting power, his 
next object was to ascertain the amount of heat transmitted to the 
sensitive tissues. The facts are as follo^vs : 

From twelve experiments made on feet, in view of throwino- light 
on a subject hitherto considered as dark, the following are the re- 
sults : 

^irst. That the ordinary shoe, heated to cherry redness, and 
applied to a horny sole of an inch in thickness, and kept burning for 
one mmute, the carbonized portion not being obliterated in "paring 
out the foot," has transmitted from three to four degrees of caloric 
to the villo-papillary and reticular tissue. 

Second. That the greatest amount of caloric transmitted in these 
experiments, was felt, according to the thermometer, between the 
fourth and sixth minute from the application of the heated shoe. 
^ Third. That the sole, pared to the thickness of one-third of an 
inch, giving under the pressure of the thumb, and the iron kept burn- 
ing upon it for half a minute, exhibited the villo-papilljB destroyed 
by the caloric. 

Fourth. That when the sole had but one-eighth of an inch in 
thickness, and readily bent under the thumb, when the heated shoe 
was held upon it, burning for half a minute, both its villo- papillae 
and the surface of the reticular tissues were destroyed by the caloric. 

From other twelve experiments, performed with the shoe heated 
to black redness, the following facts were gleaned : 

First. The shoe being applied to the sole upon which the burnt 
mark still remained, it was found to transmit in the same time more 
caloric to the living tissues than the iron at 2l. cherry red heat. 

Second. The dull heated iron, the thickness of the sole being the 
same, caused a more lively and deeper burn than the bright heated 
one. 

Third.^ These experiments confirm what was said by the elder 
Lafosse, in 1858, viz., that it was not the bright heated iron which 
oftenest occasioned the burning of the fleshy sole, but rather the 
iron brought to a dull or obscure heat. 

*' A notion has generally passed current among persons engao'ed 
in the art of shoeing, that if the burnt part of the sole be pared 
away, by means of the ordinary tools (knife and butteris), immedi- 
ately after the application of the hot shoe, the burn is obliterated, 
with its effects at the same time. I found this, however, by placing 
my hand upon the burnt spot, and by testing it with a thermometer, 
not to be correct ; and I further demonstrated its fallacy by direct 
experiment." 

The reader will now perceive that the danger apprehended as the 
result of hot shoeing, is not entirely groundless ; neither do the 
effects of the same exist only in a fertile imagination, as some writers 
have asserted, but there is often more truth than poetry in the matter. 

Unfortunately we have a vast amount of book knowledge on shoe- 
ing, which often passes current as the result of scientific investiga- 
tion-; yet, in my opinion, the horse and its owner would have been 
better off had such works never been written. 

Some smiths contend that it is necessary to apply hot shoes in 



134 ESSAY ON SHOEING HORSES 

order to " ascertain the hearings^'' or rather to discover the uneven 
parts which necessarily occur as the result of faulty paring. Now 
I contend that a good workman, with proper tools at command, can 
make an even surface ; hence, a good workman has no reasonable 
excuse for the unnecessary application of reel -hot shoes. In fact the 
application of the same either shows that the smith is wedded to 
the errors of our forefathers, or else is deficient in skill. Now, if 
this be true, every holiest smith who understands his business, should 
try to dispense with hot shoeing, and consider the practice as one of 
the barbarisms of the ancients, whose policy it was "never to forget 
what they had learned, and never to learn anything new.'''* 

Some smiths, I am informed, merely apply the heated shoe for the 
purpose of carbonizing, and thus softening the sole and crust of the 
hoof so that it can be easily pared. This, I think, is a very lame 
excuse, for in most cases too much of the same is removed, and thus 
the horse has *' tender feet." 

If the above is true, then it appears that the intelligent and pro- 
gressive smith of the present day has no rational excuse for the 
application of heated shoes ; and he who acts according to the dic- 
tates of reason and humanity, is sure to secure a good business, and 
the thanks of an intelligent community will be his reward. 

In offering the above remarks on the practice and principles of 
shoeing, I have no desire to scold or find fault with the honest smith, 

" Whose brow is often wet with honest sweat," 

for it is a well known fact that lameness in horses is often attributed 
to faulty shoeing, when such is not the case. For example, a horse 
has recently been shod and become suddenly lame ; this lameness 
may be obscure, so that its owner cannot determine its location, and 
he jumps at the conclusion that the lameness has its origin in faulty 
shoeing, when the reverse is the case — the animal being lame in the 
shoulder instead of the foot. 

QUARTER-C RACKS. 

The best plan for shoeing horses with quarter-crack and toe-cracK, 
is as follows : Before operating on the foot or applying the shoe, the 
foot should be poulticed with linseed or slippery elm ; the poultice to 
remain on the parts for a period of at least tAvelve hours. The object 
in applying a poultice is to soften the hoof and abate any irritation 
or lameness which may exist ; then by means of a crooked end of a 
drawing knife, all extraneous matter is to be removed from the crack 
or fissure; a fine gimlet, corresponding to the size of the clinch 
(which is a round shoe nail), is then to be sent through the hoof di- 
rectly across the crack, taking care not to get too deep a hold, for 
fear of wounding the sensitive tissues which lie in contact with the 
inner part of the hoof; the nail or rivet is now to be sent through 
the gimlet hole — across the crack — and by means of hammer and 
pincers it must be well clinched ; then the projecting heads are to be 
rasped off. The hoof is now to be cut through across the crack, 
close up to the coronet, and thereby all communication between the 
new growth and the fissure, or crack, is effectually cut of 

When the crack is quite extensive it may be necessary to insert 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HOESES. 135 

more than one rivet. So soon as the process of riveting is com- 
pleted, the crack or fissure may be dressed with a small quantity of 
strong spirits of hartshorn, then bind a piece of tape firmly around 
the foot, and keep the latter cool by frequent spongings of cold wa- 
ter. A bar-shoe, affording equal pressure around the crust and frog, 
is to be applied ; two nails on the inside and three on the outside, as 
I'emote from the heels as possible. This form of shoe is, under the 
above circumstances, the best that can be aj^plied ; yet, in case of 
quarter-crack, perhaps a plain shoe, applied so as to bear upon the 
heel under the crack, may answer better than the bar-shoe. 

The reader will perceive that I recommend the use of a gimlet for 
perforating the walls of the hoof. It may be proper, however, for 
me to remark, that in case the walls be thin, such an instrument can- 
not be used ; therefore the smith must either use an awl or a brad- 
awl, for if he drive the nail, or clinch, without first perforating the 
hoof, the fibres of the latter are unnecessarily separated. 

From what I have already written in reference to the ar^ of shoe- 
ing, the reader will probably infer that there is no great difficulty in 
shoeing a strong, well formed foot ; and all that is necessary in the 
preparation of such a foot, is to level the crust and sole, and scrape 
off any loose portions of horny substance that may be found on the 
sole, frog, or bars. The nails — two on the inside and three on the 
outside — should be placed as near the toe as is consistent with the 
security of the shoe ; the heads of the nails should be " sunk, or 
counter-sunk," so that when traveling on the road or on paved 
streets, the nails remain immovable, and thus the shoe is not likely 
to get loose ; and the same will be held firmer to the foot if torsion 
be practiced. Torsion signifies twisting, and is performed in the 
following manner: after the nail has been carefully driven Aome, and 
before it is cut or broken off prior to clinching, it must be seized or 
inclosed in the fangs of a pair of pincers, and then twisted several 
times so as to give it a sort of cork-screw end ; the screw thus 
formed is extended to the upper part of the nail, within the fibres of 
the hoof, and of course requires much more force to draw it than 
when a nail remains untwisted. The nail being thus twisted, it is 
cut off and clinched. It appears to me that this method is far supe- 
rior to that heretofore practiced. 

The surface of the shoe which bears on the ground should be hol- 
lowed — concave — for by this means the horse is enabled to get a 
secure foothold ; and such a formation corresponds with the natural 
form of well formed feet, which are, in the undomesticated state oi 
the animal, always concave. 

When the bottom or sole of a horse's foot is flat or convex, instead 
of concave, it is at the same time much thinner and less capable of 
bearing pressure. The shoe for such a foot should be broader than 
the ordinary one, and must have a good flat seat at the region of the 
junction of crust and sole. This form of foot being naturally weak, 
in consequence, perhaps, of some hereditary predisposition, great 
care is required in nailing the same, otherwise the nail is apt, it 
driven too far in an upward direction, to enter the sensitive tissues, 
and thus the horse is pricked, as the saying is. 

Finally, the feet of horses are often variously deformed, in conse- 
quence of predisposition lurking in breed, from bad management, 



136 ESSAY ON SHOEING HORSES. 

and accidental causes ; therefore, it is the business of all persons 
engaged in the art of shoeing horses to make themselves acquainted 
with the structure and function of a horse's foot; for in the present 
progressive era, when improvements are treading on the heels of im- 
provement, a blacksmith cannot afford to plead ignorance on such 
important subjects, which are vital to his success as a practical shoe- 
ing smith. 

I cannot conscientiously close this article without ofiering a few 
remarks in favor of that much-abused class of men known as " black- 
smiths." It is my firm belief that they are often, very often, blamed 
without any rational excuse for censure. For example, a horse is 
recently shod, becomes suddenly lame, the lameness may be so ob- 
scure and unaccountable that the owner and his advisers cannot, by 
ordinary observation, determine the seat of lameness, and they come 
to the conclusion that the mysterious lameness aas its origin in faulty 
shoeing, which may not be tlie case, for very many horses are pre- 
disposed to various diseases of the feet and lameness of limbs, 
which, under the very bad system of shoeing, cannot be prevented. 

In regard to bad shoeing, it is my opinion that many smiths do 
not obtain a fair compensation for their services, in the prosecution 
of their laborious and dangerous vocation ; hence, they cannot afford 
to employ the best kind of help ; and if, under the circumstances, a 
horse's shoes are merely tacked on to the feet, at the rate of the 
prevalent bread-and-butter price, the owner of the horse is more 
culpable than the smith. 

If horse-owners have a desire to guard against the consequences 
of faulty shoeing, and wish to see their horses shod in a satisfactory 
manner, I advise them to pay the blacksmith a living price, so that 
he can afford to employ "good help" — men who know how to per- 
form work in a workmanlike manner. 

Taking a rational view of the whole art of shoeing, the greatest 
wonder is how so many horses used for draught purposes on our un- 
yielding pavements, enjoy freedom from foot lameness. 

MECHANISM OF HORSEs' HOOFS. 

The hoof of a horse is considered as an epidermic appendage — 
similar to nails and claws of other animals, and scales of fishes. 
They are produced, in the first instance, by the growth of cells, the 
contents of which gradually evaporate, so that the walls of the same 
gradually approximate each other. 

In the upper part of the hoof — near its matrix (mother) — these 
cells are to be observed ; they are somewhat flattened against each 
other, but still retain a rounded form. 

The hoof, nails and scales, are not traversed by nutriment vessels 
or absorbents, as is the case in regard to the sensitive tissues ; and 
the Jlatte7ied cells, when fully developed, undergo but little change. 
The chemical analysis of the constituents of the hoof are as follows : 

Carbon 52 parts. 

Hydrogen 7 " 

Nitrogen 17 " 

Oxygen and Sulphur 24 " 

Total 100 " 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HOESES. 137 



PEESSUEE ON THE FEOG. 

Goodwin says, " It is an incontrovertible fact that unless the frog 
receives a certain degree of pressure, it will degenerate and become 
incapable of affording sufficient protection to the sensitive frog, 
which it covers; that the heels will gradually contract; that the bars 
alone are not sufficient to prevent the same, though they certainly 
oppose it with considerable force. But it does not follow from this 
that it is necessary for the pressure to be constant, nor is it believed 
that a shoe which allows the frog to bear on the ground, when the 
horse stands upon a plane, hard surface, can be always applied even to 
sound feet without inconvenience. There is no doubt that a horse 
in a state of nature has his frog almost always in contact with the 
ground, and then of course he feels no inconvenience from it ; but 
when burthens are placed upon his back, and he is driven about on 
hard roads, he is certainly in very different circumstances, and if the 
frog in such cases was constantly exposed to this severe pressure, it 
would no doubt occasion lameness." Still, a certain amount of pres- 
sure is absolutely necessary, for unless that be the case, descent of 
the sole and disease of the laminae is apt to occur. 

SHOEING OF CAVALET HOESES. 

The following circular has just been issued by the Adjutant Gen- 
eral, British army, from the Horse Guards : 

Sie: — It being very desirable that a uniform system of shoeing 
should be established in the cavalry, and the whole of that important 
subject having been recently referred to the consideration of a Board 
composed of officers of great experience in that branch of the ser- 
vice, assisted by two old and experienced professional men, the Gen- 
eral Commanding in Chief has been pleased to direct that the follow- 
ing instructions, extracted from their Report, and which embody the 
whole of their recommendations, be circulated throughout the cav- 
alry, accompanied by dui3licates of the pattern shoes, which have 
been sealed and deposited at the office of Military Boards for gen- 
eral reference and guidance. 

1. The shoe is to be beveled off, so as to leave a space and pre- 
vent pressure to the sole. 

2. It is not to be grooved or fettered ; but simply punched, and 
the nails counter-sunk. 

3. Calkin is to be applied to the hind shoe only, and is to be con- 
fined to the outside heel. The inside heel is to be thickened in 
proportion. 

4. The weight of the shoe is to be from twelve to fifteen ounces, 
according to the size of the horse. 

^ 5. As a general principle, horses are to be shod with not less than 
six nails in the fore and seven in the hind shoe ; nor is the sole to be 
attached with not fewer than three nails on either side. 

6. In preparing the foot for the shoe, as little as possible should 
be pared out, and the operation should be confined to the removal of 
the exfoHating parts of the sole only. 

7. Both the fore and hind shoes are to be made with a single 
clip at the toes. 



138 ESSAY ON SHOEING HORSES. 

Viscount Hardinge is aware that peculiarities in the form and na- 
ture of particular horses' feet will cause considerable deviations from 
these instructions in isolated cases ; but, in making this communica- 
tion, I am directed to express his Lordship's expectation, that in 
general, the shoeing of the horses of the regiment under your com- 
mand may be executed in accordance with the principles herein 
recommended, without reference to previous regimental practice, or 
to the preconceived opinions of individuals on the subject. I am 
only further to desire that, at the end of three months, you will have 
the goodness to transmit to this department, for the General Com- 
manding in Chief's consideration, a report of your opinion as to the 
advantages or inconveniences which may be found to attend the in- 
troduction of the system now recommended. 

To the officer commanding. 

In view of giving the reader some idea of the theory and art of 
shoeing horses in Scotland, I here introduce a selection from the 
" Scottish Farmer:" 

" In preparing the horse's foot to be shod, the requirement in the 
skill of the operator above all is, that he shall know the right form 
and required bearing surface of that particular foot ; he has, in fact, 
as much to give the bearing surface to the foot, as he will afterwards 
have to adapt the shoe to it ; the foot-surface and that of the iron 
shoe to be applied are entirely dependent on the skill and under- 
standing of the shoer, and on these mainly depends the success 
of the whole process. We will go a little further in explanation: 
when we have adjusted the foot, whether it be a sound or an 
unsound one, we proceed to adapt our shoe accordingly, and if the 
understanding and manual skill are efficient, the shoe will be brought 
to the foot in every way moulded to its requirements. In approx- 
imating the two surfaces, which is always done once or twice, and, 
if necessary, more frequently, till the adaptation is complete, we 
just as much review the foot as we do the shoe, and may in the crit- 
ical process with as much propriety file away a little hoof as we may 
in another case bend the iron under the hammer. In either case, it 
is necessarily an adaptation of surfaces ; the foot in the first part of 
the preparation being approximately finished, as the shoe when first 
tried is the same. In answer to the question, what parts of the hoof 
are to be removed ? we should say noiie^ only so far as is necessary to 
give the circumference and due proportion to the whole hoof This 
we may say cannot always be effected ; unfortunately, as horses' 
feet come to our hands, we find such deficiency, through destruction 
of parts, and not unfrequently a general debility throughout the 
whole hoof, that we can only make the best use of what remains. 

"Among the most common deteriorations in form, under the pres- 
ent custom of shoeing, is a low, weak state of the hoof across the 
quarters — that is, taking a transverse line across the centre of the 
foot, immediately under the line of bearing. This low and weak 
state proceeds from two causes — first, from the method of preparing 
the feet ; secondly, from the way they are shod, so that the iron 
gravitates, nay, is often converted into a lever, the fulcrum of which 
is in that centre, alike in both branches of the shoe, and the hoof is 
worn, or, as is said, ridden down by the pressure. Another com- 



ESSAY ON SHOEING HORSES. 139 

men defect is the foot being higher on one side than the other, and 
thus every part of the foot and limb is thrown out of its natural line 
of bearing. Then we have many disturbances in the line of obli- 
quity which the foot in its natural state should bear to the limb ; we 
find variations of half an inch or an inch' in the depth of the heels, 
under different modes of preparing the foot, and a similar extreme 
at the point constituting what is called length or shortening of the 
toe ; all these, which nature has ordained to be exact, are I'ound to 
vary by the inch, and the defects are variously complicated in the 
same foot. To know how to prepare the foot implies an understand- 
ing of all these deviations. We may be asked, are there no parts 
of the foot to be removed and others to be conserved besides that 
which comes under the general meaning of proportion in depth, 
breadth, and length of the whole? We say, no. In adjusting the 
foot we have to deal with the wall, and if that part is well done and 
the foot well shod, the other parts — viz., the sole and frog — are ne- 
cessarily taken care of; though the horn is secreted constantly on 
those parts like that of the wall, to meet the wear, the process of 
detaching is different ; the sole and frog detach their outer layers as 
they become superabundant. When, however, as is commonly the 
case, the foot is badly prepared and badly shod, the sole may be- 
come, as it does, imprisoned by an overlapping of the wall, and want 
of the general natural functions of the foot ; then the process of ex- 
foliation may be interrupted ; the proper remedy in which case is not 
to hack and sink holes into the sole, but restore the balance in the 
whole foot by removal of disturbing causes. The instruments at 
present in use with us, for preparing the horse's foot, are of the 
most ill- adapted kind; and here we are prepared to be met by the 
observation that a good workman will effect his object with any 
tool ; it would, perhaps, however, be more correct to say that an 
able artist will generally devise a proper instrument to effect his ob- 
ject. Two instruments are used for the reduction of the hoof, the 
drawing-knife and rasp ; these are both of modern introduction for 
that purpose, and, as applies to the old world, they are confined to 
our country. These instruments are coeval with a doctrine of shoe- 
ing which has prevailed for between sixty and seventy years ; pre- 
vious to that time, an instrument similar to that in use up to the 
present time all over the Continent, called a butteris, was adopted in 
Great Britain. To the late Professor Coleman is mainly due the ab- 
olition of the butteris and substitution of the drawing-knife. The 
reason assigned was, that the old one was an ungainly, clumsy tool, 
and certainly, to perform what the new doctrine in shoeing was re- 
quiring, it was not the instrument. It was laid down as a rule that 
the sole was to be cut away ; that it was to be pared thm every time 
the horse was shod ; that there were certain parts called bars that 
were to be preserved, which consisted in neither more nor less than 
a carving away of the sole almost to the blood, and leaving a small 
ridge at each angle, between which the hook of the drawing-knife 
was freely used to scoop out what was called the seat of corn. The 
little drawing-knife, bent so as to reach to every crevice and angle 
of the foot, was just the destructive instrument to do such work, 
but was in no way adapted to adjust a foot for the shoe ; indeed no 
jne ever used it, or does so now, for that purpose. The rasp is used 



140 ESSAY ON SHOEING HOESES. 

for lowering the wall. There is a point where the work of these two 
instruments meets ; the little crooked knife clears away and destroys 
the sole, leaving a thin edge of the wall, which the rasp sweeps 
away. A rasp or file was long in use with us, as it is now on the 
Continent ; but little use Is made of it there, since the butteris, a 
broad, cutting instrument, gives a much better bearing surface to the 
foot, and the file is used to a small extent only in finishing the woik. 
We may give some notion of the adaptation of the old instrument, 
the butteris, and the thorough unfitness of the drawing-knife for the 
same office, by a few comparisons. 

*' Every one knows that if he wants to form an exact surface or line, 
tie does not choose a very small instrument, but one of breadth and 
length; a joiner does not use his chisel, but his long plane, to strike 
i plane, smooth surface ; a man who carves handsomely and econom- 
.cally a joint of meat does not take his pocket-knife, but one with a 
Droad, well-adapted blade ; a man who cuts leather uses a broad in- 
strument, and he can do it with exactness. We may go further, 
ind adduce the tailor's large shears as he divides his broadcloth. 
The fact is, the little instrument makes notches and holes, destroys 
ind weakens; and this has been pre-eminently the case, in the ap- 
plication of the drawing-knife to the destruction of horses' feet. 

" We will, in conclusion, say a few words as to how this change was 
affected. To abolish an instrument from the land, which was well- 
adapted for the requirement, and to introduce into general applica- 
tion one which we hold to be ill-adapted, seems difticult to account 
for. The fact is, at the time the London Veterinary College was 
first established, nearly seventy years ago, and subsequently, its 
Principal was able to carry any point, almost at command ; the 
power was displayed in the army, through which changes in the plan 
of shoeing were rapidly carried, and there the butteris was at once 
abohshed and the drawing-knife substituted; the same thing followed 
through all the principal forges, and since the scooping out of the 
foot was pronounced to be a requirement, and insisted on, compli- 
ance on the part of the workmen to use the drawing-knife was the 
more readily exacted. Subsequently, the rasp manufacturer adapted 
that instrument, so that instead of the little fine-cut rasp and file of 
the former times, a sharper, rougher, and bigger instrument was in- 
troduced, with which a strong man could reduce the hoof, and even 
destroy it with a very few sweeping strokes. How we are to get 
back to a more rational system than now prevails, is the work to 
which we have put our shoulders." 



ADVERTISEMENTS, 141 



kademi of Velefinaff Medicine and Surjerj, 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 

[an incorporated institution.] 



The object in establishing an Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery 
in this city, is to educate pers-ons by practical and clinical teaching for the practice 
of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery on all the inferior orders of creation, which are 
the subjects of derangements, maladies, and accidents. 

The necessity for an institution of this kind is evident from the fact, that the 
husbandmen of this and other States are the owners of live stock to an immense 
amount of money ; hence have great interests at stake in the welfare and treatment 
of diseases incidental to the same. 

Hitherto the means for education in Veterinary art and science, have been very 
limited, and a vast number of the finest stock in the country die prematurely ; many 
of them of unnecessary diseases, which might be prevented by proper attention to 
the laws of physiology, and the rational practice of Veterinary science. 

The Veterinary schools of Europe are quite numerous, and rank high in public 
estimation ; they are fostered by governments, associations of husbandmen, and pri- 
vate individuals ; and the professional attainments of the graduates of such schools 
command the respect and confidence of the world. 

The study and pursuit of Veterinary science offers a new professional field of use- 
fulness and emolument for the young men of this country, and it is probable that 
educated Veterinarians will soon find remunerative employment in the service of the 
Government. 



Anatomy and Physiology.— The Lectures on Anatomy and Physiology will be 
demonstrated and illustrated by Dissection, and by means of diagrams, skeletons, and 
prepared anaotmical specimens. 

Theory and Practice of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. — Ample means for 
acquiring a thorough knowledge of the Theory and Practice of Veterinary Medicine 
and Surgery, occurs in the practice of the Principal of the Academy, and the same 
is also taught through the medium of daily Lectures and Recitations. 

Text Books. — The Text Books used in the Academy are as follows : Anatomy 
AND Physiology : Percival, Blaine, Dadd, Carpenter. Chemistry and Pharmacy : 
Morton's Manual of Pharmacy, and the ordinaryT ext Books of the Schools of Medi- 
cine. Materia Medica: Findlay, Dunn, Eclectic and United States Dispensatories. 
Theory and Practice : Blaine's Outlines of the Veterinary Art, Dadd on the Treat- 
ment of the Diseases of Horses and Cattle, Youatt on the same subjects, and Perci- 
val's Hippopathology. Veterinary Jurisprudence; Oliphant, and the Revised 
Statutes of Illinois. 

REGULATIONS.— The Regular Session of this Academy lasts during a period of 
one year ; each student is required to attend a full Session ere he can present himself 
befoie the Board of Examiners for a Diploma of Qualification. 

G-EOKG-E H, DADD, V. S., 

Chicago, 111. 



142 ADVERTISEMENTS. 




AND CATTLE IHIBICINEii 



THE Subscribers, believing that a great necessity exists for eome reliable arti- 
cles for the treatment of diseases peculiar to domesiic animals, after many years of 
investigation and much expense, are now prepared to offer to the public a class of 

E@ESK AlB (SATTLI MIBIGIIIS 

that may be relied upon as superior to any similar preparations ever before offered. 
They are prepared from 

CAREFULLY SELECTED MATERIALS, 

that many years of scientific research and practical experience have found to be 
most efficient and curative for the diseases and complaints for which they are recom- 
mended. 

Whenever a Horse is out of condition, which may be known by the presence of 
worms, chronic cough, unthriftiness, loss of appetite, unhealthy appearance of the 
skin and hair, turbid urine, debility, and various other symptoms well known to 
horse men, the 

MAGNETIC EQUINE POWDERS 

are a sure and certain remedy ; and as an alterative in the treatment of the diseases 
of HORSES and CATTLE, 'these Powders stand unrivalled. The 

AMERICAN MAGNETIC EQUINE LINIMENT 

is an infallible remedy for the treatment of the various forms of lameness incidental 
to man and beast. It has been used a long time in view of mitigating the lameness 
accompanying Splint, Spavin, Ringbone, and other affections of like character to 
which domestic animals are liable, and in the treatment of rheumatic affections it has 
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AMERICAN MAGNETIC EQUINE LOTION 

is a sovereign remedy for the treatment of all the various diseases of the Skin, Heels^ 
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the treatment of wounds and galls. 

In confirmation of the above facts, we would subjoin the following certificate of 
Doctor G. H. Dadd, whose well-earned reputation and skill in his profession makes 
his opinion entitled to the confidence of horse owners, and those who have the care 
of Horses and Cattle. 



CEKTIFICATE. 

Chicago, Jan. 1st, 1863. 

I hereby certify that I have examined and thoroughly tested in my practice 

the articles known as ^'' American Magnetic Equine Powders,'''' '■'■American Magnetic 
Eqxdne Liniment,^'' and ^'■American Magnetic Equine Lotion,''^ prepared by Lord & 
Smith, of Chicago, 111. I regard them as preparations of great merit, and would 
cordially recommend them as being prepared with special care, from reliable reme- 
dies, and more eflScacious for the treatment of the various diseases for which they 
are designed, than any remedies of which I have knowledge. 

GEO. H. DADD, Veterinary Surgeon, 
Author of " Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse,^'' " Modern Morse Doctor f''* d;c. 

Principal of the Chicago Veterinary School. 
We would ask a fair trial for these remedies, believing them to be the best prep- 
arations of the kind ever before offered to the public. 

The Trade supplied on most liberal terms by the Proprietors, to whom all orders 
»hould be' addressed. LORD & SMITH, 

Wholesale Druggists, 23 Lake Street, Chicago, 111. 



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